The legacy media narrative is that Alaska Native groups approve of President Joe Biden’s pretend leases in the 1002 area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The second lease sale for oil and gas tracts mandated by Congress in the 2017 Tax Act received no bids at all, while the first one only received scant interest. The bids were just not viable, with the Deep State working against oil and gas.
But Natives who live in the farthest northern reaches of the state are unhappy about the Biden Administration’s fake-lease strategy and the comments made by the Department of Interior after the second lease failed to get any interest.
“The lack of interest from oil companies in development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge reflects what we and they have known all along – there are some places too special and sacred to put at risk with oil and gas drilling. This proposal was misguided in 2017, and it’s misguided now,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis, who came from the environmental industry’s National Wildlife Federation before joining the Biden Administration. “The BLM has followed the law and held two lease sales that have exposed the false promises made in the Tax Act. The oil and gas industry is sitting on millions of acres of undeveloped leases elsewhere; we’d suggest that’s a prudent place to start, rather than engage further in speculative leasing in one of the most spectacular places in the world.”
That was insulting to people who actually live in the region.
“Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced that the Bureau of Land Management received no bids in the congressionally-mandated oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s (ANWR) Coastal Plain. DOI’s comments are deeply insulting to our region given that they undermine the will of Kaktovik, the only community within ANWR’s 19-million-acre expanse,” said Nagruk Harcharek, president of Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat.
Harcharek said the lack of interest by bidders is a byproduct of years of inconsistent policy moves by the Biden Administration regarding indigenous North Slope Iñupiaq lands, intended to stymie economic development in the region.
“The Biden administration’s approach to ANWR has been defined by its efforts to exclude Indigenous voices from Kaktovik, the only community within ANWR, from the policymaking process while elevating outside groups and voices who have no connection to our lands and people. Our community has a right to shape our shared economic future, and we will continue to fight against the Biden administration’s attempts to make us environmental refugees in our homelands,” Harcharek said.
“North Slope communities want to advance Iñupiaq self-determination through durable, collaborative policy making. These communities were dissatisfied with the Biden administration’s decision to initiate and finalize an unnecessary supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) that did not reflect the majority consensus of local and regional elected officials, while also minimizing development opportunities contrary to the spirit of the law,” he continued.
The result exemplifies the federal government’s deeply flawed policy approach to this issue, creating industry uncertainty during the ANWR lease sales process. It’s a deliberate federal approach, he said, “and it is shameful that the Biden administration would seek to use our economic security as a political football.”
Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat serves the eight communities of Alaska’s North Slope Borough – the northernmost municipality in the United States, across a remote 95,000 square miles from the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean. It faces the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea.
Th State of Alaska is suing over the bad-faith actions of the federal government in its actions in the 1002 area.
“Interior’s continued and irrational opposition under the Biden Administration to responsible energy development in the Arctic continues America on a path of energy dependence instead of utilizing the vast resources we have available,” Dunleavy said. “These resources not only help our energy independence as a nation but also grow the Alaska economy and put more money in the Alaska Permanent Fund for future generations,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy. He said he is hoping for a brighter future for Alaska with Donald Trump returning as president.
Charles Lampe, who is Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation’s president, said Kaktovik wasn’t even included in the discussion. It is the only community within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
“As the only community that exists within ANWR, Kaktovik should have been included at the policymaking table throughout this policymaking process,” said Lampe. “There’s a reason that the people of Kaktovik voted over 75% in favor of the Trump-Vance political ticket. This current administration keeps adding insult to injury with their flawed processes, falsely claiming to work with those who this will most affect.”
The oil and gas lease tracts put forward by the Biden Administration were part of a “disingenuous move designed to meet the minimum legal requirements outlined by Congress while undermining any economic potential in our region—a bad faith effort that jeopardizes the economic and cultural future of our communities for political gain,” the Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat said when the second bid tracts were revealed in December.
Certainly Russia benefits from these laws. And what price did Russia pay? And at what price does Ukraine pay? It seems there is a common denominator here. And thanks to Bitcoin, we will never know.
Well considering the reason why Russia exhumed graves in Russia and Jerusalem lives in Alaska.
That won’t end well in the International Criminal Courts for anyone. I guess that depends on the Alaska First People. Better hope they are in a good mood…
It’s shameful how this administration puts on shows that don’t even reflect reality while undermining the very “values” they claim to hold dear.
Thanks to the BIG GREEN SCAM and the Biden team, the ANWR lease sale held on the 6th of January was rigged to run oil and gas investments and bids away.
Thank God for the State of Alaska and the AG’s Office who asked the court to address the wrongs in this Biden Oil and Gas lease sale scam.
The irony of ignoring the only local residents in making decisions affecting their livelihood, safety and wellbeing by federal agencies. They do request and receive thousands of pre made fill in comments from outside people, NGOs and Alaska residents who do not live in the region. Thankful the Iñupiat leadership continues to speak out, as these lands have been inhabited for 10,000 years by the same peoples.
The Greenland Inuit should be aware of how the US Empire manages its’ colonies, which it calls “states”, and the residents pretend are states, without actual sovereignty, like Alaska, and the suicidal national security, societal and economic policies it pursues.
Greenland is better off independent, or they will end up like us, a decaying, failing Empire, whose people abandoned the unique and sacred concept of a Constitutional Republic from which we were given by the patriots who fought and died for it, 250 years ago.
The Native American population needs to realize that they’re merely pawns for the Democrat elite. The few who act as a voice prosper but, not unlike the black population, the majority get nothing. With Mary P gone and Deb Haaland on her way out perhaps this can be corrected.
Well the bush needs to vote for pro development politicians and not Mary’s.
Lord knows the consequences if the Natives are upset. Everybody else is irrelevant.
FINALLY they are speaking up. Hope this isn’t too late.
Speaking is OK, but will they change their voting habits??
Iñupiat leadership has always spoken out. We are ignored, the White outside attorneys who “speak” for the Gwichin Steering Committee, who have never occupied the lands, or buried their people on the lands in question are heard.
Maybe if you elected senators and congressmen who had a backbone, and stood firm for Alaska instead of their puppet masters, the situation here would improve.
This administration is completely out of touch and they don’t care. I think Biden’s minions should be brought up on treason charges they are feeding him this crap sandwich and he is not mentally fit enough to figure it out. They are also responsible for elder abuse. Think about it.
Brian Simpson is correct. ConocoPhillips credits Mary with getting Willow through. Next Republican State Conversation should be in the North Slope. Need to reach out NW Arctic and Doyon plus Arctic Slope Regional. Talk development not social issues.
Uuhh, you do know that for hundreds of years the democratic party has been race based so why would you think they would include you in any talks. They think you are beneath them.
The Alaska Native Corporations are in joint partnerships with our oil producers. Moving from subsistence to for profit corporations. Huge employers with great wages in our state. Resource development means money in everyone’s pocket. We need to learn how to work together. Too much time spent on social issues. Money in folks pockets helps them take responsibility for their lives. Creates an environment where people strive for better lives rather than complain and blame others.
HARD to feel sorry for them they vote for these Marxist in block! Democrats have a long history of being Extremely racist yet this population gets in line for them anyway!
Thomas,
AK Natives do not vote Democrat in a block. If it were not for the overwhelming percentage of outside White residents who comprise the vast majority of our state wide population, many of whom vote for Democrats, and bring their liberal, woke, urban habits with them, the Democrat Party would be powerless here.
For decades the GOP Stevens, Murkowski and Young remained in office. They received a large percentage of Native votes to retain their power.
Look at the state legislature. Juneau is as White as snow demographically and votes Democrat.
The other, larger problem is most Republicans are Democrat light. The Princess Murkowski and Sullivan come to mind. Look at Juneau, the GOP enables the Democrats to own the place.
The issue in Alaska is we have a crappy, corrupt GOP, that is simply spineless and utterly corrupt. And a voting population that is overwhelmingly ignorant, selfish, lazy and spoiled. We have become just another Left Coast political dung heap as California, Washington and Oregon.
Don’t blame AK Natives, this is a White Liberal owned “state”.
Insulted, he says?
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Are Alaska Native groups insulted that everyone in Kipnuk “voted” for Black Lberal Cornell West?
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Are Alaska Native groups insulted that Eklutna, and probably everyone else, won’t get their casinos?
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Are Alaska Native groups insulted that outfits like NANA and others get huge federal contracts worldwide and own office buildings in Anchorage which hold more people than some of their villages?
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Are Alaska Native Groups learning something from Eaglexit, like what happens when Americans of every ethnicity unite to ditch their White Liberal rulers?
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You did say “most Republicans are Democrat light” in a whisper… don’t want to make The Giessel, Mother of All Money mad, do we?
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Are Alaska Natives the only ones insulted that “this is a White Liberal owned state”?
What do you mean anyway, “this is a White Liberal owned state”?
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Oh wait… how Thomas Jack got where he is today with no hope of justice and nobody, White or Native, who seems willing or able to get him out… you do have a point.
Morrigan, looking at the GOP clown show in Washington and especially Alaska my whole life, there is no way to deny most of them are Democrat light.
GOP talk is irrelevant, its’ both their actions, and lack of needed action, that matter.
Alaska calls itself a “state”, but it’s just a large dependent territory the federal government purchased, retains 60%+ of the lands, and maintains all meaningful control over.
The Arctic Slope Corporation does well, NANA does OK. At least Alaska has a few locally owned companies who are successful.
The reason the residents on the north slope are insulted is they live there, and their opinions concerning the resource uses in question are not given any weight by the federal overlords.
Ted, Don, and Frank delivered billions to our State while in DC. Most Alaskans voted for them countless times. Unfortunately our Democratic and Republican state political parties are financially blind. Trump knew that the McDonald fries needed to go into the metal bin and come out of the fryer and be emptied and then add salt. Making fries would be totally over the heads of anybody that joins our state political parties.