Morris K. Udall Arctic Wilderness Act of 2001

This bill would designate approximately 1.5 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska as a protected wilderness area. By adding this land to the National Wilderness Preservation System, the legislation would permanently prohibit industrial activities, such as oil and gas drilling, within the refuge’s coastal plain. For the public, this means the area would be legally preserved in its natural state for wildlife conservation and primitive recreation, while preventing future commercial development on these specific federal lands.