In his State of the Union address, President Obama toured America’s accomplishments in expanding oil and gas production (as if federal actions had anything to do with it).  Just 5 days later, the Obama administration is preparing steps to declare 1.4 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve as “wilderness,” meaning no oil drilling allowed. Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post: The Obama administration will propose setting aside the 1.4 million-acre coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as wilderness, the White House announced Sunday, a move that will spark a fierce battle with the new Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman, Lisa Murkowski, and other Alaska Republicans. “Alaska’s National Wildlife refuge is an incredible place — pristine, undisturbed. It supports caribou and polar bears, all manner of marine life, countless species of birds and fish, and for...(Read Full Post)