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Alaska House says 'no' to Aleutians Sanctuary

HJR 7, sponsored by Rep. Bryce Edgmon, says the Legislature is "vehemently opposed" to the idea of a massive maritime sanctuary around Aleutians.

On Wednesday, Alaska’s House of Representatives voted to oppose the creation of an Aleutian Islands National Maritime Sanctuary.

House Joint Resolution 7, sponsored by Representative Bryce Edgmon, lays out reasons why the massive sanctuary proposal is not a good idea, including that no local governing bodies from Bristol Bay out through the Aleutian Chain have offered any support for it.

In December, a group called PEER, for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, nominated approximately 554,000 square nautical miles of waters north and south of the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Chain to be a new marine sanctuary.

The resolution, adopted unanimously in the House, says the Legislature is “vehemently” opposed to this idea. 

HJR 7 now goes to the Senate for consideration.