Written by Nagluk Harchalek
Updated: 4 hours ago, Published: 4 hours ago
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Thanks to our strong sense of unity, the North Slope Inupiat have sustained ourselves for more than 10,000 years in America's harshest and most unforgiving climate. Our commitment to these values ​​(“atauchimnik” in Iñupiaq) is designed and approved with community checks and balances, and has resulted in lasting positive outcomes for our communities. This is evident in the widespread support for responsible development projects in the region.
That's why it's so disturbing to see the federal government propose unwelcome regulations that reverse our collective support for these important economic opportunities and the benefits they provide. When formulating policies that affect our homeland, our will must be considered first and not the will of outside groups that are not connected to our land, community, or culture. .
The federal government's disregard for the voices of the North Slope Inupiat is reflected in its recent decision to significantly limit their right to determine the future of their ancestral homeland, the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPR-A). Illustrated. This action, announced to “protect the survival of Alaska Native people,” was developed without meaningful engagement or consent with communities to understand the impact on our economy and culture, and is subject to NPR-A's 56 % will be placed in a specially protected status. This opens the door to future deviations from current uses, such as maintaining modern necessities such as flushing toilets or eliminating future improvements such as communal corridors and roads connecting remote communities in America's northernmost region. will be effectively closed.
These regulations were proposed by an administration that claims to listen to indigenous communities and elected leaders like those in the eight North Slope communities that my organization represents. The White House's Arctic National Strategy clearly states that the U.S. federal government wants to “ensure that Alaska Native communities are partners in decisions that affect them.” But the federal government has treated the North Slope Inupiat as nothing more than partners in this process and blindsided us with regulations that do not reflect the will of our people and communities.
If the administration had engaged with us properly during this process, it would have understood that the North Slope community overwhelmingly supports resource development projects in our hometown. These projects support valuable community infrastructure projects such as schools, water and sanitation, police and fire stations, and community centers. They also fund important government agencies like the North Slope District Wildlife Management Office, which researches and provides critical data on caribou, bowhead whales, and other wildlife resources on which our culture depends. We offer
These basic services are found throughout the Lower 48 states, but only in the last generation have they reached the North Slope. Unlike our elders, children born today do not have to melt ice for drinking water, scour the coast for driftwood to heat their homes, or be sent away to attend high school. . The impact this modern service has had on our community is immeasurable. Currently, people in our country are expected to live on average to 77 years old, which is more than twice the average life expectancy in 1969.
This increase is the most dramatic in the United States and is directly tied to our commitment to freely participate in the economic development of the North Slope. We live in balance with responsible resource development that supports and strengthens our culture and way of life.
This broad support was at its fullest in the effort to reauthorize the Willow project. North Slope Inupiat tirelessly participated in his more than 25 public meetings held throughout the process to ensure the administration understood Willow's value to our community. President Joe Biden’s reauthorization of Willow signaled that our community’s voice was indeed heard.
The federal government's recent actions now mark a clear reversal. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) improperly scheduled meeting to discuss NPR-A rule in the middle of the fall busy season, despite urgent requests from North Slope Inupiat community leaders to change the date. did. These leaders also requested an 80-day extension to the public comment period for stronger community engagement, but were granted only a brief 30-day stay by BLM. Even Interior Secretary Deb Haaland herself has refused at least eight times to meet with North Slope leaders on the issue.
The 2023 Arctic People's Congress statement puts the region's position in perspective: “Climate change cannot be used as an excuse to violate the rights of indigenous peoples.” These recent actions are a violation of our right to self-determination and threaten Iñupiaq communities and traditions.
Rather than pushing through poorly thought-out regulations that clearly do not reflect local desires, we urge policymakers in Washington, D.C., to support community-approved, responsible development in the region. We urge a more thorough review of support for the Slope Iñupiat. Otherwise, it will ignore our will and lead to dire consequences for our people.
Nagluk Harcharek is the president of Voices of the Arctic Inupiat, a nonprofit organization created to create a unified voice for most North Slope communities and address policy decisions that affect the region. .
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