A resolution opposing designation of critical habitat for beluga whales passed the Alaska State House Monday in the form of House Joint Resolution 40, which opposes the National Marine Fisheries Service’s designation of a critical habitat for beluga whales.

The resolution now goes with legislators planning to attend energy talks in Washington D.C this week, as they intend to lobby against the beluga designation.

HJR 40 sponsor Rep. Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage, put the resolution in motion in order to protect the economy of the entire Cook Inlet region from what she says is an unnecessary critical habitat designation for beluga whales. Millett’s argument was that population numbers rebounded after a cooperative harvest management plan was instituted, with the beluga population going from 278 in 2005 to 321 in 2009, a total increase of four percent per year.

The Endangered Species Act requires economic effects to be taken into account for critical habitat designations. Areas may be excluded from critical habitat if it is determined that the benefit of such exclusion outweighs the benefit to the region. The National Marine Fisheries Service considers the designation as a way to protect wildlife in the region. But the majority voting on the measure Monday believe activities around Cook Inlet from the Port of Anchorage, to military operations, to sport and commercial fishing “could be slapped with new restrictions if a critical habitat designation is issued,” Millett said.

HJR 40 now moves to the Alaska State Senate for consideration.

To read the rest of this article, click here.