*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
Date: July 29, 2025
Contact: voiceofthearctic@marathonstrategies.com
A statement from Nagruk Harcharek, President of Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE), on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s announcement that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is rescinding “Special Area” expansions and designations in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A):
“Effective, durable policies that support the North Slope Iñupiat’s economy, communities, and culture are defined by frequent consultation with our elected leaders. BLM’s now-rescinded designations did not meet this standard, and their withdrawal is another step toward recognition of our right to self-determination on our homelands by the federal government.”
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About Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE)
VOICE is a nonprofit organization established in 2015 by the region’s collective elected Iñupiat leadership and is dedicated to preserving and advancing North Slope Iñupiat cultural and economic self-determination. Its members include local governments, Alaska Native Corporations, federally recognized tribes, and tribal non-profits across the North Slope of Alaska.
In 2017, VOICE’s board passed a resolution in support of opening the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas exploration and development. VOICE was the first organization to file a lawsuit to challenge the 2024 National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska NPR-A rule, which was crafted without meaningful engagement with those who live on the North Slope and presented serious risks to survival of Indigenous communities and North Slope Iñupiaq culture.