The park is part of a large continuous area of protected wilderness.
But he did make another pitch for drilling in protected Alaskan wilderness.
Environmentalists say paving would damage the remote area abutting the road, much of which is under Federal study for designation as protected wilderness.
The bill would emphasize protecting species on lands already set aside for conservation, like the huge tracts of protected wilderness and national parks in the West.
America, for example, seems to have settled on a policy of preserving its national forests and adding incrementally to its protected wilderness.
Under the radar, Congress has been quietly adding to the nation's inventory of protected wilderness.
The train does not enter the protected wilderness but continues to thread its way through jagged canyons, coming within inches of trees and rocky walls.
Several portions are in protected wilderness.
The area was popular for off road vehicle use, but after the area's designation as a protected wilderness, such activities have been severally curtailed.
Roughly four percent, or 103 million acres, of the nation is designated as protected wilderness.