Alaska Native Peoples' A Human Rights Issue
The Arctic Refuge is not only a haven for wildlife, it's home to people, too. For thousands of years, the Gwich'in (literally, "people of the land") have lived in and around the land that today comprises Arctic Refuge. The Gwich'in are spiritually and physically linked to this landscape and its wildlife and depend on a permanently protected Arctic Refuge for their very survival.
The Gwich'in rely on the Porcupine Caribou Herd for subsistence, i.e., without the caribou, the Gwich'in could not survive in this remote environment. The herd's calving grounds on the Coastal Plain, referred to by the Gwich'in as "the sacred place where life begins," could be completely and irreversibly damaged by drilling equipment and infrastructure should it be permitted in the Arctic Refuge.
It's not 'the' Arctic Refuge, it's 'OUR' Arctic Refuge
The Arctic Refuge, like all 566 national wildlife refuges that make up the National Wildlife Refuge System, belongs to each and every American. The Arctic Refuge is a shared resource, and an integral part of our nation's conservation heritage.
Ever since the Arctic Refuge was set aside for protection in 1960, it has enjoyed broad bipartisan support from the American people. It is up to all of us to ensure our Arctic Refuge remains permanently protected to safeguard its irreplaceable landscapes that its wildlife call home.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline transports oil from the Prudhoe Bay, adjacent to the Arctic Refuge on Alaska's North Slope, south across the state to the town of Valdez on the Gulf of Alaska | US Geological Survey
Why is the Arctic Refuge Threatened?
The ground beneath the Arctic Refuge, like much of Alaska, is believed to contain oil and natural gas reserves. Despite productive oil fields throughout the state, including nearby Prudhoe Bay in Alaska's North Slope, there has been an ongoing push by the extraction industry and Alaska's congressional delegation to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling operations.
Drilling equipment and accompanying infrastructure would devastate the fragile Arctic landscape and harm refuge wildlife. Any leaks and spills, large or small, would exacerbate these damages and forever impair this American wilderness. We strongly believe that there are areas that should be off-limits to development, and the Arctic Refuge was intended as such a place under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). We cannot go back on that promise now.
ANILCA, a landmark conservation law passed in 1980, allowed the State of Alaska to determine which of its lands would be utilized for natural resource extraction (e.g. the Nation Petroleum Reserve-Alaska) and which of its lands would be set aside for conservation. It was through ANILCA that the Arctic Range was expanded to its current 19.6 million acres and became the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Today, pro-drilling advocates are seeking to renege on this agreement and drill for oil on lands agreed (and codified into law) would be set aside for permanent protection. When it comes to the Arctic Refuge, we believe there is simply no room to compromise ? we already did.
Current Threat
The push to drill in the Arctic Refuge has gained renewed strength under the Trump Administration. The President's FY18 Budget explicitly recommended opening the Arctic Refuge to drilling operations and claimed this would generate $1.8 billion in revenues over 10 years, without citing any information on how they reached this number.
Only nine days after the President's budget was released, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke signed an executive order directing the US Geological Survey to update their estimates of potential oil reserves beneath the Arctic Refuge's coastal plain.
The Trump Administration has made their intentions for the Arctic Refuge unquestionably clear. However, the Arctic Refuge's future will ultimately be determined by the actions of the US Congress.
Pro-drilling allies in Congress are planning to add a provision to drill in the Arctic Refuge to their eventual tax overhaul legislation, citing the Administration's $1.8 billion as part of their mitigation for reduced tax revenues. This special legislation will require only a 51-vote majority in the Senate before it is sent to the President's desk.
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