1978 Scorecard Vote
H.R. 39. The vote is on the Young amendment to remove 4.5 million acres from the proposed parks, national forests and wildlife refuges that were in the bill, in order to allow the state of Alaska to select the land. Young claimed that Alaska had the right to select these additional lands under earlier statehood agreements. These claims were disputed by others for reasons too complicated to explain here. Young's amendment would have affected two areas of critical concern to conservationists: there were cuts in the bill's additions to the Arctic National Wildlife Range, an area containing critical habitat for the largest caribou herd left in Alaska, and also cuts in the Yukon Flats Wildlife Refuge, a huge expanse of freshwater marsh that is one of the most productive waterfowl nesting areas in the continent. The Carter Administration opposed the amendment. Rejected 141-251. May 18, 1978. NO is the correct vote.
pro-environment position