Alaska Natives support Arctic drilling revival after Biden policy reversal
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A FIRST ON FOX: Democrats raising the alarm about potential harm to Alaskan communities if their efforts are reversed and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) further opened to energy development have received a very different response from a consortium of local Natives than they expected.
Using the Congressional Review Act, the Senate voted Thursday night to pass a resolution formally approved by Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska. Biden-era rule reversed Development is restricted to more than 1 million acres in the refuge, where Indigenous communities like Kaktovik reside.
You. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., esp. spoke on the Senate floor He opposed the effort, saying Congress rightfully established the refuge in 1980 but neglected to properly protect the “very fragile ecosystem” there from development, calling it “America’s Serengeti.”
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The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is seen in northern Alaska in an undated photo. (US Fish and Wildlife Service/Getty Images)
“So far we’ve been able to protect the coastal plain and keep it intact as it has been for millions of years, and many Americans were hopeful that we were moving on,” Cantwell said. he said.
Using the “Congressional Review Act” to review details Arctic Wildlife Refuge drilling could very well backfire on our advocates. “If Congress votes today to overturn Biden’s record, it will create legal and regulatory chaos, not clarity.”
Additionally, several Democrats and at least one Republican supported a separate invoice In April, this will designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as legally protected wilderness, blocking any development.
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“There are some places that are too special, too amazing and too ecologically and culturally important to allow them to be permanently plundered by oil and gas,” said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. he said then as lead sponsor.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., also spearheaded the introduction of this bill along with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania moderate from the Philadelphia suburbs.
Despite such claims that development would damage the land and negatively impact its residents, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE), a group representing communities in and around the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, was ecstatic to see the Senate reverse the restrictive rule.
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“These joint congressional resolutions are a positive sign that congressional decision-makers support Iñupiaq right to self-determination,” VOICE President Nagruk Harcharek said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. he said.
Harcharek said the vote changed the course of years of “unbalanced relations” with Congress and the executive branch.
“Our communities are cautiously optimistic about the people of Kaktovik following this vote supported by our local and regional leaders.” our native homelands“
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Kaktovik Mayor Nathan Gordon Jr. added that “Kaktovikmiut” (residents of the community) overwhelmingly support responsible development projects on their land because it provides an important way for them and their regional economy to make a living.
“Kaktovik is the only community within ANWR, but the federal government and Congress have ignored our voices for generations,” Gordon said.
A whaling captain also attended common appearance in the region Interior Minister Doug Burgum and Energy Minister Chris Wright also praised the news, praising such officials as making efforts to engage with the Indigenous community on issues affecting their lands.
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“Going forward, we hope to continue this positive relationship of mutual respect with both Congress and the executive branch,” Charles C.C. Lampe said. he said.
“America is strongest when empowered to responsibly develop Alaska’s resources,” Begich said in a statement after the vote.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, It was also stated the importance of listening to the needs of state residents rather than the assumptions of bureaucracy.
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Murkowski said previous Democratic administrations “paused everything, Illegally canceled every leaseand then rewrote the program to ensure that neither leasing nor development would occur.”
“Their worldview was completely opposite,” he said.
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“Today, we stand on the cusp of righting this wrong, rolling back the illegal lockout of ANWR, and creating good-paying jobs and opportunities for Alaska’s working families,” Sullivan added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Cantwell, Markey, Huffman and Fitzpatrick for comment.
