March 11, 2003

From: SaveOurEnvironment.org
Action Center Update - for more information go to:
http://SaveOurEnvironment.org/action/index.asp?item=2424&step=2

We have just learned that oil industry allies in the Senate are right now making a strong push to secure the votes they need to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. We need your immediate help.

These members of Congress are hatching a back-door scheme to hide their measure to drill in the Arctic Refuge in unrelated budget legislation. Drilling in the Refuge has nothing to do with the federal budget, and its fate should not be decided in that context. The only purpose of attaching this issue to unrelated legislation is to prevent an open debate and a vote.

Take action and pass this along to your friends and family in Minnesota!

Please call Senator Norm Coleman and urge him to OPPOSE efforts to use the federal budget resolution to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling. The number for Senator Coleman's Capitol Hill office is: 202-224-5641.

When speaking to a staff member or when leaving a message, consider making the following points:

•    Senator Coleman should OPPOSE inclusion of the Arctic Refuge in the federal budget resolution.

•    Back-door schemes don't change the basic facts: Drilling in the refuge will ruin one of our last great wild places, for what the U.S. Geological Survey estimates is less oil than the United States uses in six months - and it wouldn't get here for 10 years or more.

•    The Arctic Refuge is one of our nation's greatest wildlife sanctuaries.

Dear Senator Coleman,

I strongly oppose all efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. I particularly oppose efforts to use loopholes to sneak Arctic drilling legislation into unrelated legislation. The Arctic Refuge is truly one of America's last great unspoiled wilderness areas and home to abundant wildlife. It must be protected.

Drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge will not solve our nation's energy supply problems. It would, however, permanently damage the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an irreplaceable treasure. Estimates show the oil supply from the refuge would provide for only six months of American oil consumption, and the oil wouldn't reach consumers for at least 10 years.

I urge you not to put industry profits before our nation's needs when crafting a responsible national energy policy. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge will do nothing to reduce our consumption of foreign oil and nothing to increase our energy security.

Please join your colleagues who publicly oppose these efforts and support efforts to permanently protect the Arctic Refuge as wilderness.

Sincerely,

Additional Information:

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 1.5 million acres of pristine wilderness that stretch from the mountains of the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean ice pack. Each summer the plain emerges from a blanket of snow to reveal fields of colorful, fragrant flowers. Migratory birds, wolves, caribou, grizzly and polar bears, arctic foxes and muskoxen are among the animals that depend on this area.

Oil exploration and extraction on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could be catastrophic for wildlife. The oil fields of neighboring Prudhoe Bay are estimated to have spilled over 100,000 gallons of petroleum products in one recent year alone. The coastal plain would experience oil spills as well, and those spills could have disastrous impacts on wildlife. Oil on the feathers of birds and the fur of polar bears and seals inhibits proper insulation, causing slow death from hypothermia. Birds with oil on their feathers may be unable to fly and may die from drowning.

Every year, more than 130,000 caribou travel to the Arctic refuge's coastal plain to give birth and nurse their young. The Porcupine Caribou Herd embarks on this spectacular migration to find a safe haven for its young and to feed on vegetation to prepare for the coming winter. Pipelines used to transport oil could alter the migration route of the herd, affecting wolves, grizzly bears and wolverines that hunt caribou as their primary food source. Any changes in the herd or its migration would also affect the Gwich'in people of Alaska and Canada who depend on the caribou herd for their subsistence and livelihood.

Big international oil companies claim that drilling in the Arctic refuge would lower fuel prices and make the U.S. less dependent on imported oil. Here are some facts that they would like you to ignore:

•    The largest oil discovery in U.S. history actually had no impact on U.S. prices. In fact, just four years after Alaska's Prudhoe Bay field came on line in 1977, gas prices nearly doubled, jumping from 59 cents per gallon to an average of $1.19 by 1980. In short, increasing U.S. production by more than 1 million barrels a day did nothing to prevent an OPEC-induced price spike. Estimates of how much oil might lie beneath the Arctic refuge are small in comparison to Prudhoe Bay. In fact, the most recent estimate by the U.S. Geological Survey is that the refuge contains only 3.2 billion barrels of economically recoverable oil, the equivalent of less than six months' U.S. consumption.

•    Alaska oil is being shipped to China and other Asian countries. That's because Congress in 1995 lifted a ban on exporting oil from Alaska. Since then, from 50,000 to 90,000 barrels per day have been shipped overseas. Overall, the U.S. exports 1 million barrels per day of crude and refined petroleum products. Were drilling allowed in the Arctic refuge, nothing would require the oil companies to keep that oil here in the United States.

•    Raising the fuel efficiency of cars and light trucks would save far more oil than what might lie beneath the Arctic Refuge. Simply raising fuel economy standards would save more oil than we import from the Persian Gulf and has been optimistically projected to be under the Arctic refuge and offshore California. Honda and Toyota are already marketing cars that can go up to 850 miles on a single tank of gas. There is no good reason to delay requiring higher gas mileage for U.S. vehicles, especially when energy conservation measures would reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

February 2002

Native Leaders Standing In Solidarity With
The Gwich'in Against Oil Drilling In The Arctic Refuge

PRESS CONFERENCE
Methodist Center, 110 Maryland Ave, NE, Washington, DC

STATEMENT BY: Tom B.K. Goldtooth, Executive Director, Indigenous Environmental Network

The Indigenous Environmental Network, which represents 200 Indigenous non-governmental organizations, traditional societies and communities throughout North America, are proud to stand here in support for the Gwich’ in Athabascan Tribal Nation. IEN stands in solidarity with the Gwich’in in their opposition to any congressional action to open up the caribou calving grounds of the arctic refuge to oil development.

The United States Congress and President Bush have no right to threaten the way of life, culture, environment and economic subsistence of the Gwich’in. IEN pledges to help stop any oil drilling that would desecrate sacred lands and threaten the survival of the porcupine caribou herd and the Gwich’in.

Bush’s energy plan does not provide homeland security to the Gwich’in of the Alaska villages of Arctic Village, Venetie, Old Crow, and other tribal communities in Alaska and Canada. The US energy plan is at the expense of the human rights of Indigenous peoples, not only the Gwich’in, but the Western Shoshone Nation in Nevada who are opposed to the US government and the nuclear industry planning to use Yucca Mountain as a dump site for this countries’ high-level nuclear waste. Yucca Mountain, like the refuge, is a sacred area that deserves protection under the laws of this country.

There is a human face to this issue whose voices have not been heard by the American people. We join our hearts, minds and spirit together with the voice of the Gwich’in who are demanding their human rights not be violated by the United States.

Our network puts out a call for action for the American public and the world civil society to stop this axis of evil oil industries and governments who work together expanding their oil frontier, destroying forests, wetlands, coastal plains, habitat, water quality and being a major factor in causing climate change and global warming.

The American public must stop this act of colonial terrorism by Bush and Cheney against a people that just want to be left alone, to live in peace and be able to practice their culture that has sustained them for thousands of years.

Thank you for listening.

February 12, 2002

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- A coalition of native-American groups is lobbying the Senate to ban oil drilling on the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, saying it threatens the way of life of local residents.

The plea from the National Congress of American Indians, supported by the Indigenous Environmental Network and others, comes just days before Congress is expected to look at energy legislation.

In an open letter to Senate leaders, Tex Hall, president of the NCAI, said the oil drilling issue is not only one of wildlife protection.

"This is a human-rights issue vital to protecting the traditional culture of the Gwich'in people," he said. The Gwich'in, a nomadic Athabascan tribe, rely on the Porcupine Caribou herd not only for food, and clothing, but regard it as the central focus of their culture.

"The need for oil development must be balanced with the need to protect native cultures and delicate ecosystems," said Hall, and the focus should be on economic development for the native tribes.

The letter was released at a news conference Tuesday.

Yvette L. Hill, representing the Wilderness Society at the news conference, said oil drilling would have drastic effects on wildlife as well as inhabitants.

"It will interfere with the polar bear's den" Hill said, as well as disrupt the breeding grounds of the caribou herds. The inhabitants will also lose their primary source of food, the caribou, which consists of 90 percent of their diet, he said.

Tom Goldtooth, national director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, called the oil drilling industry "very deceitful" and said they fear state governments are "giving in to the lobbying pressures of industries and corporations."

He called any attempts to drill for oil in the wilderness an "act of colonial terrorism ... against a people that just want to be left alone."

Goldtooth said they are seeking support of the American public and the world "to stop this axis of evil -- oil industries and governments who work together expanding their oil frontier, destroying forests, wetlands, coastal plains" and even causing climate change and global warming.

Critics say oil available under the wildlife reserve is minimal, barely enough to supply U.S. needs for six months, and would do nothing to ease fuel prices or the U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

November 15, 2001

WASHINGTON — Republicans launched a new campaign Wednesday to open an Alaskan wilderness to oil drilling by attaching an energy measure to a crucial economic stimulus package before the Senate.

The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a pristine wilderness in northern Alaska, has been a long-running fight between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.

Republicans say the the refuge could yield billions of barrels of crude oil that would reduce U.S. dependence on imports. Democrats contend the wilderness area should not be sacrificed because huge amounts of oil could be saved with stricter fuel efficiency standards.

Republicans will try to amend the $66 billion stimulus measure by attaching part of the broad energy bill passed by the House in August. The House legislation would offer incentives to boost U.S. oil, natural gas, and coal production as well as opening the refuge to drilling.

Sen. Larry Craig, Republican of Idaho, said he formally filed on Wednesday a stripped-down version of the House energy bill as an amendment to the economic stimulus legislation.

The Senate began debate this week on whether the economic package should include extra unemployment benefits and subsidized health insurance for laid-off workers or focus mostly on business tax cuts to help the sluggish U.S. economy.

"We will debate energy on the stimulus package," Craig told reporters on Capitol Hill. "Who determines the price of gasoline in America today? Foreigners from outside our country," he added.

WHITE HOUSE SUPPORT

The White House signalled its support for the Republican action.

Vice President Dick Cheney urged the Senate to include the energy bill in the economic stimulus package. "It (the stimulus bill) ought to be coupled, as well, with a good energy program," Cheney said in a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Cheney said it would be "foolish in the extreme" for the United States not to boost its oil production. "We're dependent upon a somewhat fragile, uncertain part of the world for a big part of our oil imports," Cheney said.

Republicans said they would prefer to vote on the energy measure as stand-alone legislation, but the Senate's Democratic leadership has refused to schedule such a vote.

Some $32 billion in energy tax credits and incentives and credits were stripped from the House energy bill before offering it as amendment to improve the measure's chance of passing the Senate, Craig said.

Craig said he would not hold up the economic package, and would withdraw his amendment if a bipartisan agreement on a stimulus plan emerged. In that event, he said, he would attach the energy language to an agricultural spending bill when lawmakers return from Thanksgiving recess. "If we have a bipartisan stimulus package on the floor of the Senate to vote on, we would not offer the amendment," he said.

GREENS, ROBERT REDFORD OPPOSE DRILLING

Green groups that oppose drilling in the Alaska refuge stepped up their publicity campaign by holding a news conference with Hollywood legend Robert Redford. The actor, who serves on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said more than 2 million Americans have written letters and emails urging the government to keep the refuge off limits to drilling.

"I don't feel there is an open, honest debate on this issue, which is what I think the American people deserve and should get," said Redford, joined by several lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Sporting a checkered gray coat, purple tie, and blue shirt, the 64-year-old Redford said opening up the pristine refuge would harm wildlife and do little to reduce oil imports.

Some Senate Democrats have threatened to filibuster any attempt to let energy companies drill in the 19-million-acre (7.7-million-hectare) refuge.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat, again warned on Wednesday that he would filibuster legislation that allows drilling in the refuge. "This is the greatest attempt to sting the American people except for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, referring to one of Redford's most famous movies. "We can and will stop them," added Lieberman.

The federal government has estimated that the Alaskan refuge could hold as much as 16 billion barrels of crude oil, enough to replace the amount of crude the United States imports from Iraq for 70 years.

Critics say it would take at least seven years for oil production to begin, and that the drilling equipment and risk of a spill would threaten polar bears, caribou, migratory birds, and other wildlife.

October 31, 2001

The Teamsters are credited with pushing an energy bill through the House this summer that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, but drilling opponents also have friends in organized labor.

The president of one of the country's largest unions, the Service Employees International Union, stood with Senate Democrats in front of the Capitol on Wednesday and proclaimed his members' opposition to drilling in the refuge.

"We need a long-term, sustained effort for working families to solve our nation's energy policy, not quick, fly-by-night solutions," said SEIU President Andy Stern.

SEIU, which represents janitors, hospital workers, public employees and others, has 1.4 million members, making it the largest union in the AFL-CIO, he said.

Stern cited polls that show union households don't want to want to see drilling in ANWR.

Although the Teamsters have been very visible supporters of tapping the refuge, organized labor is clearly of two minds on the issue. The operating engineers, the laborers, and the building trades unions are with the Teamsters. Leaders of the United Auto Workers, Communications Workers of America, the National Writers Union and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America have spoken out against drilling, citing environmental reasons.

The AFL-CIO considered taking a position on ANWR this summer but did not, a spokeswoman said. Instead, because its members were split, the AFL-CIO decided to let stand its 1993 resolution that offered qualified support for oil exploration.

Alaska Sen. Frank Murkowski and his Republican colleagues, frustrated that energy policy is stalled in the Senate, have said they'll try to attach a measure that would open ANWR to virtually any bill that comes to the Senate floor this year.

Drilling in ANWR, Murkowski has said, would create hundreds of thousands of jobs, stimulate the economy and make America less dependent on Middle Eastern oil. After Sept. 11, it's more obvious than ever that energy independence is a matter of national security, he and others say.

Senate Democrats, including Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and John Kerry of Massachusetts, came out Wednesday to counter those arguments. Investing in alternative energy would create more jobs and better wean the country of imported oil, they said.

An effort is underway to wrap ANWR in a false cloak of patriotism and slip it past Congress, Kerry said.

"I'm here to say ... we define our patriotism with equal fervor in a different way, and we're not going to let it happen," he said.

Reporters also heard from Denali National Park bus driver and Teamster member Bill Watkins. Watkins said he opposes drilling in the refuge, adding that an informal survey shows 78 of 80 Denali bus drivers feel the same way.

No other union representatives spoke against drilling, although a district director for the United Steelworkers of America submitted a written statement. Roger Herrera, lobbyist for the pro-drilling group Arctic Power, said he was unimpressed with Wednesday's show. The Democrats, Herrera said, "are feeling a little weak and insecure."

"You're sort of dredging the shallow end when you get out the few unions in America, that, for whatever reason, oppose drilling in ANWR," he said.

October 3, 2001

Sparing ANWR, Senate approves defense bill

The Senate approved a $345 billion defense spending bill on Tuesday night, rejecting a controversial amendment that would have opened up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling.

By a vote of 99 to 0, the Senate authorized funds for the Department of Defense and military spending at the Department of Energy. Earmarked for fiscal year 2002, which began on Monday, the money represents an 11 percent increase of $34.2 billion over last year's level.

Approving the package had been a top priority due to September 11's terrorist attacks. But there were fears the bill would be delayed by pro-drilling advocates seeking to force the Senate into debating energy policy.

Last week, Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska), the ranking Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, was threatening to stall Senate action. "I am prepared to hold up normal legislative business to get an energy bill to the floor," he said.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) wanted to go a step further and have the defense bill include ANWR provisions. In an opinion piece published in The Washington Times yesterday, he said drilling in the refuge was not just an energy issue but a national security one.

"My purpose is not to block the necessary defense bill, but rather to advance a similarly necessary energy security measure," he argued. Arguments against drilling in ANWR are "out-of-date and out of touch with reality," he continued.

As the day wore on, however, action on energy never occurred. Lawmakers like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a member of the Armed Forces Committee, urged fellow members to act in a spirit of national unity.

"I'm worried that in a few minutes, the Senate may undo all that good work of the past three weeks, and bring an end to the bipartisan cooperation that has distinguished this institution, and give the public a reason to be ashamed of us," said McCain.

The message appeared to have worked. In the early afternoon, the Senate by unanimous consent agreed to advance the defense bill, as Majority Leader Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) called a vote to limit debate.

By that time, Inhofe had softened his stance. "There is nobody on this floor who wants to have a defense authorization bill more than I do," he said.

Among those who have opposed development is the Gwich'in Nation, who fear drilling will disturb the Porcupine caribou herd on which they subsist. Assurances by Secretary of Interior Gale Norton and others that development can occur in an environmentally sensitive way have not swayed their position.

Inupiat Eskimos who own land in ANWR's coastal plain, the area targeted for development, have supported drilling. They predict financial and other benefits should the land be opened up.

The House has already approved a comprehensive energy bill that allows exploration in 2,000 acres of ANWR. Senate leaders have given no indication on when the chamber would consider its own version of the bill.

Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), 98, did not vote yesterday. After collapsing on the Senate floor, the oldest member of Congress was taken to an area hospital, and is said to be doing fine.

Relevant Links:
Gwich'in Steering Committee - http://www.alaska.net/~gwichin
Oil Issues in ANWR, US Fish and Wildlife - http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.html
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service - http://arctic.fws.gov
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pro-Development site - http://www.anwr.org

October 3, 2001

NOTE: This poll is sponsored by the group which wants to drill in the ANWAR.

Poll Shows Americans Want Action on New Energy Policy;
Direct Link to National Security Seen

www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-03-2001/0001584782&EDATE

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, a new nationwide poll, conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide and released today by Arctic Power, showed a dramatic increase in the number of Americans who see increasing domestic energy production as a key element in improving and protecting our national security. 71% of those polled say they favor increasing domestic supplies of traditional energy sources including oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear power. And, 38% cite protecting our national security by ensuring a stable supply of energy for the future as the main reason for acting on a comprehensive national energy plan now, compared with just 19% in July of this year.

The heightened concern expressed among pollees regarding action on energy now, and focused on national security issues, is a direct result of a belief felt by most Americans that there will be more terrorist attacks on the United States, and that the likelihood of war in the Middle East has increased significantly. Fully 78% believe that it is very or somewhat likely that terrorists will explode a nuclear bomb in the U.S., and 83% believe chemical weapons or gas will be used.

"This is not a time for Congress to take a wait and see approach about our nation's energy security," said Roger Herrera, Washington spokesman for Arctic Power. "The nation is speaking to our elected officials quite clearly: we believe war is imminent, we believe our people are at risk of further attacks, and we believe energy security is a key component in the effort to improve our national security."

In addition, the survey shows growing national support for exploration and production of oil and gas in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR. 61% now believe that the positives of exploration and production in ANWR outweigh the negatives, up from just 39% in July.

The survey clearly demonstrates that Americans feel a new unease about their personal security, and are developing a new view of the future. For example, 86% now believe terrorist acts are trained and financed, not by individuals, but by governments, and 61% believe day to day lifestyle will change. However, on a more hopeful note, 84% believe government is able to reduce terrorism.

"The American people are clearly calling on our government to take steps now to reduce the threat of terrorism, improve our national security, and take steps to protect our economy," said Jerry Hood, Special Assistant to James Hoffa on Energy, International Brotherhood of Teamsters. "Because it is expected to create over 735,000 jobs across the United States, opening ANWR now and passing comprehensive energy legislation should be a top legislative priority. I know it is with the working men and women of the Teamsters."

The survey tested 1,006 respondents over the age of 18 in the continental United States between September 15 - 17, 2001 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

About Arctic Power

Arctic Power is a grassroots, non-profit citizen's organization that advocates jobs and energy for Americans through development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's (ANWR) resources. The organization is committed to securing congressional and presidential approval of legislation opening the Coastal Plain of the ANWR to responsible oil development. The grassroots coalition comprises of citizens from Alaska and across the nation who hail from a full economic spectrum including miners, fishermen, tourism operators, transportation companies, labor unions, Alaska Native Corporations, elected officials and more. The organization is governed by a board of directors representing all regions of the state of Alaska. http://www.anwr.org

The Senate voted unanimously to keep the energy provisions out of the defense authorization bill.

You can cease generating calls to the Senators for now, but we must always remain on high alert. A person never knows when riders and attachments are put into U.S. bills.

Much thanks for ALL your help.

Dated material (September 29, 2001), but it provides some updates between the first IEN communiqué and the message listed above.

NEWS
AMERICA'S ORDEAL /
Senate GOP Pushes for Arctic Drilling

Washington - Senate Republicans have revived their drive to open the pristine arctic tundra to oil drilling and are using as leverage a defense bill that would fortify the military in its battle against global terrorism.

The proposed drilling would boost national security by making the country less dependent on foreign oil, supporters said. But congressional opponents and environmentalists argue that it would take a decade to tap even a drop of up to 16 billion barrels of oil in the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge. Opponents also criticized pro- drilling lawmakers for effectively delaying action this week on the defense authorization bill as the nation girds for a battle against terrorism.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) had wanted to complete action on the defense bill this week, saying that there was no "more urgent" bill. But Daschle, opposed to drilling in the arctic, was forced to shelve the bill until next week when he could not reach an agreement over the energy issue with Minority Leader Trent Lott (R- Miss.)

"I think a majority of the Senate is all of a sudden faced with a new reality: that we are highly dependent on Middle East oil and that any glitch in that system would find us all in a very desperate situation with our economy and our people," Sen. Larry Craig (R- Idaho) said Thursday, predicting that the Senate will soon pass an energy bill.

"We come from the caribou" says Faith Gimmill of the Gwich'in people. The lives of the Gwich'in people, the caribou, and the natural habitat of the Artic National Wildlife Refugee are now at risk. The Gwich'in people are an Athabascan speaking people living in Alaska and Canada and they are intimately connected with the natural environment and depend on it for their lively hood. The Artic National Wildlife Refuge is the last great wilderness. It is located west of Prudhoe Bay on the northern coast of Alaska. It protects the complete spectrum of arctic and sub artic ecosystems.

President Bush is pushing for oil exploration in this refuge. White House spokesman Ari Fleisher said "The president believes we can and we should, in an environmental responsible way, open up a small portion of ANWR so we can explore for oil." Opening up protected areas is part of President Bush's long-term solution to the U.S. energy shortages and a major plank of his election campaign.

This decision and other environmentally unfriendly acts have caused a controversy in the country. This has caused the Bush administration to back off of some development plans recently. It is not just strong environmentalist groups who are upset. Polls show that more people favor protecting the environment than developing it.

Faith Gimmill is a spokesperson for the Gwich'in people. She is a member of the tribe of 10,000 in who live15 villages spread across Alaska and Canada. Her people are close to the wildlife of the refuge that includes polar bears, musk ox, wolves, and moose. They are particularly close to the 160,000 Porcupine caribou that migrate in large herds from the ANWR to near the Gwich'in villages. Every summer Gimmill and her family camp near Timberline Mountain and prepare to harvest caribou.

Gimmill says "We're culturally reliant on the herd. We're spiritually reliant on the herd. We're socially reliant on the herd. She says " We have our own traditional songs and dances that tell of our historical relationship to the caribou. Our creation stories are even about how the Gwich'in and the caribou were once one." She also said that "...when you're raised on the land, you value the land. You learn respect for your environment."

An energy panel appointed by President Bush will call for drilling on the refuge in Alaska. Bush asked for a plan to fight high energy prices and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Gimmill says the drilling the ANWR "would devastate our traditional culture and way of life." My people are faced with losing thousands of years of culture for six months worth of oil. Why should the Gwich'in be faced with sacrificing our way of life for short-term economic gain? That's not fair or right. This country needs to learn from mistakes of the past where industrialization has harmed indigenous cultures."

A number of Alaskan Native Villages, the ational Congress of American Indians, and Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and others oppose drilling in the refuge. Also allied with the effort are the Episcopal Church the Canadian government and former President Jimmy Carter.

Opponents to the drilling say that oil exploration would ruin the narrow stretch of costal plain of the ANWR. They add that it would run off the caribou herds that use the area for birthing its young.

Gemmill and others say the search should be for clean alternative energy systems. Not short term expensive solutions. Only by looking at the long-term can the country hope to wean itself from dependence on foreign oil.

There are others, however, who are in favor of the drilling. The Inupiat Eskimo are in favor of the development of the ANWR. They do want it done as environmentally safely as possible. But they see a potential source of income for more improvements on the artic coastline. The Inupiat own 92,160 acres that adjoin the refuge's costal plain. The state government of Alaska is also in favor of development. The legislature last month approved a $1.85 million appropriation for pro-drilling campaign efforts. Development of oil in Alaska has greatly added to the revenues of the state.

Also in favor of the drilling is Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO). Campbell is the Senate's only American Indian. He says that the native people in the area support drilling. Campbell also says it's a way to break the country's dependency on foreign oil.

Alaska has experienced a number of oil spills, 17,000 in the North Slope since 1972 according to The Last Great Wilderness Project. The most recent one occurred earlier in April of this year. It is not known yet weather this will make a difference in the debates. Besides just the oil rigs, and pipe lines that would have to be constructed there would also be airports, production facilities, roads and some 6,000 workers introduced to the area.

The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks only succeeded in suspending the rhetoric on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for maybe two weeks and, in the end, may have given supporters new ammunition.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers joined Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) Thursday morning to urge the Senate to pass an energy plan that includes opening ANWR to oil development.

Recent events have given drilling proponents more fuel for the fire, arguing the United States is too dependent on Middle Eastern oil. Indeed, protecting oil supplies is a primary reason for U.S. military presence in the Middle East and the military relies on that oil for jet fuel.

"At a time when our national security is threatened, I don't believe it is appropriate the U.S. be in a position of begging Middle Eastern countries for energy," Craig said. He named ANWR, nuclear, coal, natural gas and renewables all as domestic energy supplies that should be developed to reduce dependence on foreign oil. The United States is currently 56.6 percent dependent on foreign oil according to Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who has prepared, but has not yet offered, an amendment to the Senate's Defense reauthorization bill that would open ANWR to drilling.

While the debate has taken on a new angle since Sept. 11 and ANWR activity on Capitol Hill is hopping, environmental groups opposed to drilling are lying low and mostly playing defense. The Alaska Wilderness League released a statement at the exact hour of the Teamsters' press conference reproaching the labor group for bad timing and saying, "For the rest of the country, it's a new world. For the teamsters, it's politics as usual."

According to Cindy Shogan, director of AWL, the United States is currently only 14 percent dependent on Persian Gulf oil and one-third less dependent on oil from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries than in 1977.

"We most certainly believe that a hasty decision to develop our nation's great Arctic wilderness would be a terrible sacrifice," Shogan said.

The Canadian environment minister agrees. Earlier this week, David Anderson gave the United States this advice: "It's particularly important at times when you have a crisis on your hands to make sure you don't make hasty and ill-considered decisions." Canada has long opposed opening the 1.5-million-acre coastal plain of ANWR to drilling.

In response to Anderson, Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) was quick to point out on the Senate floor Wednesday, complete with graphs, tables and maps, the hypocrisy of Canada's position. Canada for years has been tapping energy from its own Northwest territories where caribou herds migrate, and for it to oppose the United States doing the same is "the height of hypocrisy," Murkowski said.

Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) responded to the Alaskan senator's statement and said the Senate should not get bogged down with controversial amendments at a time like this. Inhofe commented that history shows wars are won by those who control the energy, but Jeffords maintained that reducing dependence on Middle Eastern oil is not the issue -- the means of doing so is.

GWICH’IN NATION CALLS ON ALL SUPPORTERS TO
TAKE URGENT ACTION NOW TO PROTECT ARCTIC REFUGE

"The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the fate of the Gwich'in Nation. If the Arctic Refuge is sacrificed to meet the high energy consumption needs of the US, the Gwich’in will not be able to continue our ancestral way of life and pass it on to our future generations as we have since time immemorial. We need the voice of all our supporters to defeat this attack on the inherent fundamental human rights of the Gwich'in Nation. Our traditional culture and way of life which is interconnected with the Porcupine Caribou Herd to meet all our essential needs such as food, clothing, tools, spirituality and social structure is at stake. Speak out now!" Statement from Faith Gemmill, Gwich’in Steering Committee

The Gwich’in need your help now to defend this sacred place from the desperate attempts of industry and the White house to violate the birthplace and nursery of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Gwich’in people consider this area sacred, in their language they call it Vadzaih googii vi dehk’it gwanlii which translates to "The Sacred Place Where Life Begins".

This is an alarming impediment for protecting the birthplace and nursery of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, one of the few remaining untouched ecosystems in North America. With Presidential approval a foregone conclusion, it is absolutely necessary that the senate block this short sighted and destructive bill.

The Arctic Refuge is facing its greatest threat ever, with many opponents stacked up against it: the White House, the oil industry, the Teamsters, and the Alaska delegation. Even our strongest allies in the Senate are under enormous pressure to change their position.

1. The country and the Congress need to focus on the crisis at hand, not on issues that divide us and are controversial.

2. There is plenty of time to debate energy policy in the Senate at a later date.

3. The human rights of the Gwich’in Athabascan Nation must be protected in any U.S. measures or policy’s undertaken.

You can obtain their Senator contact information online by going to http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm. Your local phone book will have contact information for their local offices. Or you can call the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for the local office number.

Wopida tanka! Thanks.