SECRETARY HAALAND MUST LISTEN TO ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITIES
The U.S. Department of the Interior, led by Secretary Deb Haaland, is ignoring Alaska Native communities and denying us our rightful seat at the policymaking table. A shameful history of little to no consultation has produced deeply flawed policy outcomes affecting the lands we have called home for millennia — including the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) which are both singled out by Interior’s unprecedented actions this fall.
Secretary Haaland’s neglect of Alaska Native communities cannot continue. Despite her commitment to indigenous rights, she has so far refused eight meeting requests from our tribal government and overseen a culture of, at best, nominal consultation with our communities.
Starting now, the North Slope Iñupiat must be included at the policymaking table for any and all issues affecting our lands and people. Anything less is a gross overstep by the federal government.
REQUESTS FOR MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT
The North Slope’s elected leadership, including those from its federally recognized tribes, has issued at least eight meeting invitations to Secretary Haaland, however each one has been ignored or declined.
This is not just a dereliction of duty – it is a violation of the rule of law. According to the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, the Secretary is obligated to honor a government-to-government relationship with our federally recognized tribes, like the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope. She has yet to do so.
Other formal requests for consultation include:
October 10, 2023:
City of Atqasuk Request for a 90-Day Extension of the Deadline for Comments on BLM’s Proposed Rule for the Management and Protection of the NPR-A
November 22, 2022:
VOICE Letter to Secretary Haaland
CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY
September 19, 2023:
Written Testimony of Nagruk Harcharek to the House Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
September 19, 2023:
Examining the Biden Administration’s Mismanagement of the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Program
PRESS RELEASES & MEDIA STATEMENTS
November 6, 2023:
VOICE Spearheads North Slope Delegation Visit to DC to Fight for Alaska Native Communities’ Seat at the Policymaking Table
October 20, 2023:
The North Slope Applauds AIDEA Lawsuit and Urges Federal Policymakers to Consult Local Indigenous Communities Before Announcing Policies Affecting Their People
September 28, 2023:
BLM and FWS’s Public Meeting on the Coastal Plain Draft SEIS Is No Way to Work With Alaska Native Communities
September 19, 2023:
VOICE Takes Advocacy for North Slope Land Rights to Capitol Hill
September 15, 2023:
Willow Court Case Deadline Puts Alaska Native Communities One Step Closer to Realizing the Project
September 6, 2023:
Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat Press Statement on NPR-A and ANWR Leases
March 13, 2023:
VOICE Statement on Willow Project Record of Decision
February 1, 2023:
Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat Urges Biden Administration to Fulfill Commitment to Alaska’s North Slope Region