Sparking immediate criticism from key Alaskan officials and the Republican-controlled Congress, the Obama administration recently revealed its plans to protect a little over 12 million acres of land in the Alaskan coastal plain as wilderness. If approved, this move will lawfully declare the area off limits to all gas and oil production and other developments, essentially leaving the territory untouched. Along with his stance on the Keystone XL Pipeline, this will be one of the biggest measures Obama has taken as he sets about keeping true to his promise to be an advocate for the environment.

The area in contention is located in Alaska’s North Slope region and is nestled within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the largest wildlife refuge in the country. While the issue may seem to have garnered the media’s attention only lately, the debate whether to protect this land or open it up to drilling and energy exploration has actually been in place for almost 40 years.