Report No.3 - February 15, 1980 - Senate and Interior Department Actions on Alaska Lands

Sep 21, 2026

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Report No.3 dated February 15, 1980 describes Senate scheduling and policy actions affecting Alaska lands. It covers a negotiated delay of Senate floor consideration until after July 4, limits on amendments, and anticipated constraints on conference negotiations. The Interior Secretary announces withdrawal of 40 million acres as wildlife refuges and natural resource areas, outlines existing mining and subsistence and sport hunting allowances, and references additional protections after environmental study. It also summarizes related conference progress, including windfall profits tax and synthetic fuels energy legislation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

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Senate Delays Alaska Debate until after July 4; Interior Secretary Withdraws 40 Million Acres

Week Devoted to Markup of Toxic Substances "Superfund"

Report No.3 February 15,1980 96th Congress 2nd Session ## Senate Delays Alaska Debate until after July 4;Interior SecretaryWithdraws 40 MiIIion Acres In a surprise move,Senatorial leaders in the Alaska lands debate reached a detalledtime agreement that wil1 delay Senate floor cone1deration of this 1mportant issue unt11after July 4.Under the terms of the agreement,the 1ssue could recelve up to 20 hoursof general debate divided equally among the principa1 Senators in the controversy.Theagreement a1so restricts the number and content of separate amendments that can beoffered on the Snate floor to three amendments each for Senators Henry Jackson(Wash.),Ted Stevens (Alaska),and Mike Gravel (Alaska),and a total of five amendments forSenators Paul Tsongas(Mass.)and John Durkin(N.H.)。The ful1 substitute b111 sponoredby Senator Tsongas will also be allowed under the terms of the agreement. Conservationists are concerned that delaying the Alaska debate so late into anelection year may put severe constraints on the conference committee which must iron outdifferences between the Senate and House-passed bi11s. The delay algo increases thepossibility of the bill being k11led in a smllar fashion to the one which falled toclear the 95th Congress in 1978. Responding to the Senate's decieion to delay action on Alaska lands leg1slationunt11 after July 4,Interior Secretary Ceci1 D.Andrus announced on February 12 that hehas signed orders wlthdrawing 40 m1111on acres of federally-owned land in Alaska underauthority of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.The lands will be managed aswild1ife refuges by the U.S.Fish and W11d1ife Service and as natural resources areas bythe Bureau of Land Management. The lands currently are in protected status under withdrawals scheduled to expfre in1981.The withdrawals allow work to proceed on valid existing mining claims,butcontinue the ban on new claim location. Mineral leasing can be permitted at theSecretary's discretion in the refuge areas,1f compatible with the protection of wlldlifeand its habitat.Subsistence hunting 1s allowed by persons who traditionally have reliedupon itin those areas as part of their 11velihood.Sport hunting can be permitted inal1 the withdrawal areas. An additional 12 m1llion acres may be glven 20-year protection later in the yearafter additional environmental study. On December 1,1978,President Carter signed proclamations declaring nearly 56m11l1on acres of Federal lands in Alaska as national monuments,most of them beingmonument areas,"If Congress fails to act again this year,big game sport hunters andguides wi11miss out on st11l another hunting season inside the NPS national monumenta,"Secretary Andrus said. Areas withdrawn as national wild1ife refuges were:Alaska Marine Resources,460,000acres;Arctic Range,9,500,000 acres;Innoko,2,850,000 acres;Kanuti,1,200,000 acres;Kena1,170,000 acres;Koyukuk,3,330,000 acres;Nowltna,1,720,000 _acres;Selawlk, 2,390,000 acres;Tetiin,770,000 acres;Togiak,3,840,000 acres,Yukon Delta,10,600,000acres;and Yukon Flats,80,000 acres. Areas withdravn as BLM-administered naturalresource areas were:Aniakchak,350,000 acres;Lake Clark,1,150,000 acres;Noatak,660,000 acres;and Wrangell-St.Elias,1,240,000 acres. Congressiona1 conferees hand1ing the windfall profits tax bi11 have made substantialprogress in sett1ing House and Senate differences.The conferees agreed to phase out thetax beginning January 1,1988 or whenever $227.3 bill1on has been raised,whichever comeslater.At that time,the tax rate will be reduced by three percent per month,until itdisappears altogether. The conferees have algo agreed to set aside between 40 and 50 percent of therevenues from the tax to finance tax cuts or reduce the federal budget deficit. Some 10to 20 percenc wi11 be reserved for mas8 transportation or other energy programs,25percent w111 be allocated to fund programs helping low-income households with fuel bi1lg,and 5 percent wi11 be set aside to

FAQs

What scheduling change affects the Alaska lands debate in this report?

Senatorial leaders reach an agreement to delay Senate floor consideration of the Alaska lands issue until after July 4.

How many acres does the Interior Secretary withdraw and under what authorities?

Interior Secretary Cecil D. Andrus signs orders withdrawing 40 million acres of federally owned land in Alaska under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

What is the report’s overview of restrictions on hunting and land use after the withdrawals?

The withdrawals allow work under existing mining claims, permit mineral leasing at the Secretary’s discretion, allow subsistence hunting for traditional users, and may permit sport hunting within the withdrawal areas.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Riley