In late 2017 Congress passed a law requiring the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to hold oil and gas lease sales in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge. The second of these lease sales must be held by the end of 2024. BLM recently released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) analyzing the impacts of the leasing program and seeking comments from the public. You can read the draft SEIS and learn about comment opportunities here.
What are the problems with BLM’s analysis of impacts to Indigenous ways of life in the SEIS?
The SEIS does not adequately consider international Indigenous rights of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) for any development on ancestral lands. This consent is not merely a moral obligation, it is a legal necessity with regards to Indigenous sovereignty.
BLM’s Conclusion That There Will Not be Significant Impacts to Gwich’in Subsistence is FALSE: Under section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), BLM must evaluate the impacts of the leasing program on subsistence uses and seek alternatives to the proposed action that would reduce or eliminate impacts.
BLM Must Comply with International Treaty Obligations: There is a treaty between the United States and Canada regarding conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd and its habitat: the 1987 Porcupine Caribou Herd Conservation Agreement.
On September 28th, 2023 Gwich’in leaders once again voiced opposition to oil and gas development in the Arctic Refuge.
photo by Keri Oberly
The area known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – the Arctic Refuge – is the homelands of the Gwich’in and Iñupiaq peoples. For thousands of years Gwich’in and Iñupiaq peoples have maintained strong relationships with the plants, animals, lands, and waters of this area.
The coastal plain is commonly known as a sacred place: the birthing grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd.
The Porcupine Caribou herd migrates from the coastal plain of Alaska through the Brooks Range and throughout Gwich'in homelands in both the US and Canada.
The harvesting of the Porcupine Caribou herd is critical for the well-being and food security of the Indigenous peoples and local communities of these areas.
The Porcupine Caribou herd provides food for many families throughout Alaska via traditional trade practices. The need for this trade is becoming even more evident as other vital food sources across the state are being depleted.
It is important, now more than ever, to protect the remaining healthy food sources we have left and to honor these relationships that have been held for thousands of years.
The impacts of drilling in the Arctic Refuge are a Human Rights issue; it would significantly impact Gwich’in and Iñupiaq Way of Life.
Drilling for oil and gas in the Coastal Plain (1002 area) of the Arctic Refuge would disrupt and terrorize the birthing grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, an essential part of both Indigenous nations’ way of life.
photo by Emily Sullivan
photo by Keri Oberly
In late 2017 Congress passed a law requiring the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to hold oil and gas lease sales in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge). The second of these lease sales must be held by the end of 2024. BLM recently released a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) analyzing the impacts of the leasing program and seeking comments from the public.
Read the Draft SEIS & learn about comment sessions here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2015144/570
Help us reach 10,000 pledges to Defend the Sacred and Protect the Arctic. Our regional organizers at Native Movement will keep you updated to federal, state, and community action opportunities, as well as links to local events and resources to dive deeper into organizing and educating for environmental justice.
