Murkowski blasts FWS rule on national wildlife refuge jurisdiction

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently pushed back on a Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) rule that preempts Alaska’s jurisdiction over wildlife management in national wildlife refuges located within the state.

The finalized rule grants the FWS authority over predator control and forbids science-based practices developed by officials in Alaska for the state’s 76.8 million acres of wildlife refuges.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service has once again decided that it knows what is best for us, and is trampling Alaska’s long-standing right to manage wildlife in refuges,” Murkowski said. “What we know, from experience, is that this will not end well for anything but predator populations. I find it shocking that this administration’s policies are pointing to a future where we can fill our freezers with genetically engineered salmon, but not the moose and other game we have traditionally harvested in a sustainable manner from our refuges.” 

The rule was accompanied by an opinion piece written by FWS Director Dan Ashe that makes the case for keeping public lands public.

“I’m very disappointed to see Director Ashe criticizing the Alaska Board of Game and attempting to politicize this issue,” Murkowski, the chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said. “His writing makes clear that this is about ideology and power – not responsible management or good government.”

Murkowski called on FWS to withdraw its refuges rule in April and has worked with U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) on legislation to prevent the rule’s implementation.