Native American Tribe Opposing Alaska Drilling by Big Oil

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The Gwich'in Athabascan peoples newfound political passion concerns a proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration.
The Gwich'in Athabascan peoples newfound political passion concerns a proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration.
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Oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge may mean the demise of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, shown here grazing on the coastal plain.
Oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge may mean the demise of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, shown here grazing on the coastal plain.
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Oil drilling potential in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Oil drilling potential in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
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The Gwich'in Athabascan peoples newfound political passion concerns a proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration.
The Gwich'in Athabascan peoples newfound political passion concerns a proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration.
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Black smoke pours from an Arctic Slope Regional Corporation flow station in Prudhoe Bay.
Black smoke pours from an Arctic Slope Regional Corporation flow station in Prudhoe Bay.
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Flaring at the GC-1 oil-gathering center in Prudhoe Bay.
Flaring at the GC-1 oil-gathering center in Prudhoe Bay.
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Area 1002, the proposed National Oil Reserve, is located on the coastal plain.
Area 1002, the proposed National Oil Reserve, is located on the coastal plain.

Native American tribe opposing Alaska drilling by Big Oil with the news of a proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration. (See the Alaska photos in the image gallery.)

Native American Tribe Opposing Alaska Drilling by Big Oil

The Gwich’in Athabascan peoples–a small group of Native Americans whose 15 villages pepper areas along the Canada-Alaska border–are not known for their political activism. But now they are fighting a fierce political battle as the very survival of their culture hinges on the outcome of the November elections.

Their newfound political passion concerns a proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration. Congress passed a resolution to allow drilling in the protected federal reserve as a rider to the 1995 budget, which President Clinton subsequently vetoed. (Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole is in favor of the drilling proposal.) Clinton has promised to veto any legislation that supports oil drilling in the refuge; however, his veto power may be restricted in a Republican-dominated Congress.

To complicate matters further, the Gwich’in face opposition within the Alaskan community of Native Americans. Both the Inupiat Eskimo and the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) are in favor of drilling in the refuge. Opponents of drilling in the refuge claim the Inupiat and the AFN are pawns of the oil cartel.

  • Published on Oct 1, 1996
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