It’s come to the point where the executive branch, with the swoop of a pen, can doom the entire economy of a state. The Department of the Interior released a revised conservation plan of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Sunday, which proposes a prohibition of oil and gas production on nearly 13 million acres of federally owned land in Alaska. The economy of Alaska is already struggling thanks to low oil prices and lower extraction rates in the state. “What’s coming is a stunning attack on our sovereignty and our ability to develop a strong economy that allows us, our children and our grandchildren to thrive,” Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a statement responding to Interior’s plan. In his State of the Union address, Barack Obama boasted, “We are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we’ve been in almost 30 years. … Today, America is number one in oil and gas. … And thanks to lower gas prices and higher fuel standards, the typical family this year should save about $750 at the pump.” With proposals such as the one from Interior, we’re reminded quite clearly that the boom is no thanks to him. More…