AUDIO: https://www.tomudall.senate.gov/download/arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-press-conference-call
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) spoke out against Republican efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling ahead of a hearing in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to determine the potential for oil and gas development on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.
In a press conference call, the senators disputed Republican claims that oil and gas leases in the coastal plain would raise no less than $1 billion to offset proposed tax cuts for the super wealthy. Instead, they said, leasing would cause irreparable damage to the culture, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation economy of the area. The senators were joined by advocates for protection of the Arctic Refuge, including Bernadette Demientieff, Executive Director of the Gwich'in Steering Committee, Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario, and Chad Brown, a U.S. Navy veteran and Founder of Soul River Inc., who guides fishing trips for kids and veterans in Alaska and the Arctic Refuge.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1960 by President Dwight Eisenhower, and expanded in 1980 to its current 19.6 million acres under the leadership of Udall's uncle, then-Rep. Mo Udall. However, with little debate, public input, or Tribal consultation, Republicans slipped a provision into the Fiscal Year 2018 budget resolution that will allow oil and gas exploration on the 1.5 million pristine acres of the coastal plain in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Development would threaten the ecosystem of one the world's most biologically diverse places, and with low oil prices and no discernible demand from industry, will provide little economic gain. According to a report by the Alaska Wilderness League, the estimated revenue Republicans claim can be made is "unrealistic" and pursuing development in the area using the current budget justification is "fiscally irresponsible."
In addition, the Arctic refuge is home to several Native American Tribes, including the Gwich'in Nation, but the provision was included and agreed upon without consulting Gwich’in Tribal leaders. Development in the area threatens the home and wellbeing of the Gwich'in people and the Porcupine Caribou Herd that they depend on for food security.
"Congress has debated oil drilling the refuge several times, and ultimately, we have always thought better of it. We have kept it protected for our children and grandchildren. Now, Congress is again on the verge of opening it up .… My Uncle Mo was a fighter – for public lands and for the little guy – and he would be mad as hell if he were here today. Mad that we are trying to sell off our natural heritage to benefit the richest 1 percent of Americans,” said Udall, vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "The economic report shows that Republicans are lying to themselves if they think they will raise over a billion dollars from oil and gas in the arctic refuge. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is wild and majestic land. Even limited drilling would cause irreversible harm to wildlife habitat and the small but thriving outdoor recreation businesses in this pristine area. We have fought off attacks before, and we’re going to fight them off again."
“Republicans are trying to offset $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for the super-rich by raising $1 billion in revenue from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. You don’t have to be a mathematician to know that fiscal plan neither makes sense nor raises sufficient dollars and cents," said Markey. "This Republican tax scam to hand over the wildest place left in America to Big Oil should be removed and put on ice.”
"The Gwich’in nation has over 8000 people that still to this day survive off the porcupine caribou herds. They are 80% of our diet. For over 20,000 years we have had a cultural and spiritual connection to these animals. They are the main focus of our identity, they define who we are as Gwich’in," said Demientieff. "Oil drilling in the arctic refuge is a direct attack on the Gwich’in nation and our way of life. This sacred area should be protected for all time, so that my people can continue to live and survive off our land and animals. This is a human rights issue, and our human rights should be respected."
"Through my organization I bring inner-city kids at risk from the urban world and I pair them with combat veterans. We go on expeditions, outdoor deployments to the Arctic. It’s a phenomenal place," said Brown. "These are lives that have never seen the outdoors, and with my organization we break the barriers and give them the opportunity to see the purest, most pristine, place — pretty much in the world."
"We’ve been in business in the US for 44 years, we’ve been working on protection of public lands for over three decades, and in all that time we’ve never seen an administration make such a reckless assault on public lands, with a bias towards extractive industries, to the detriment of the outdoor recreation economy," said Marcario. "Patagonia and many others have supported protecting the Arctic Wildlife Refuge for many years, because it’s a once in a lifetime recreation destination, and an iconic treasure for all Americans. It’s been called the crown jewel of the national wildlife refuge system, and it deserves greater protection, not less."
