The Gwich’in Steering Committee thanks the Biden administration and Secretary Haaland for pausing the leasing program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and suspending leases of sacred lands. Now it calls on the administration to continue to take action to protect these lands. “The Gwich’in Nation is grateful and heartened by the news that the […]
Fairbanks, Alaska — The Gwich’in Steering Committee condemns the Trump administration’s issuance of leases of sacred lands in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a violation of their human rights and Indigenous ways of life. “This administration’s decision to hand sacred lands to exploiters shows its commitment to continuing its cowardly […]
ANCHORAGE (AK)— The Gwich’in Steering Committee and allied groups await their day in court after a U.S. District Court decided not to grant their request for an injunction that would have prevented the U.S. Bureau of Land Management from authorizing winter seismic work and issuing leases of lands in the coastal plain of the Arctic […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 23, 2020) — The Department of Interior’s headlong rush to conduct seismic testing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge threatens iconic wildlife and Indigenous communities that depend on this pristine land. The rushed, 14-day comment period — in the midst of a global pandemic — all but ensures that the public’s […]
Oil, Gas Leasing Would Cause Irreparable Harm to Wildlife, Tundra, Climate ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court today challenging the Trump administration’s decision to allow oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Bureau of Land Management’s plan for drilling in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic […]
Indigenous leaders question legitimacy of Trump agency’s hasty, secretive review process and deeply flawed environmental impact statement WASHINGTON — The Gwich’in Nation vowed to protect sacred lands Thursday after the Bureau of Land Management released a Final Environmental Impact Statement promoting oil & gas exploitation in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The document is the […]
In a vote of 225-193, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protective Act preventing the Bureau of land Management from holding lease sales on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Despite the vote by the House, Trump has said he will veto the bill if it manages to reach his […]
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ashington, D.C. – Gwich’in leaders from Alaska and Canada responded with hope and gratitude today after the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee voted 22-14 to move the bipartisan Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, H.R. 1146, out of committee. The bill would restore protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by repealing the […]
Conservation groups voice support for Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act Washington, D.C. — In response to today’s U.S. House Natural Resources Committee vote passing the bipartisan Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act out of committee (the bill passed 22-14), Alaska Wilderness League, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, […]
