Interior Secretary Salazar has announced that the Department of the Interior's management plan will strike a balance between conservation and responsible development within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. I would like to thank Interior Secretary Salazar and the Department of the Interior for its commitment to finding the right balance for the reserve.

The reserve at 22 million acres -- our largest unit of public land -- harbors a rich diversity of threatened and endangered wildlife. It provides habitat for our nation's largest caribou herd, the largest population of nesting Arctic falcons and the threatened polar bear. I encourage the administration to finalize a balanced plan this year to protect the reserve's special areas and wildlife, while providing for responsible oil and gas development.

-- Sybille Castro

Kenai