Our Land, Our Voice
We are the people of the Arctic Slope. We join together to speak as one on issues that affect our well-being. Our membership agrees: We stand united in support of Willow and the economic lifeline it will provide to the North Slope.
Our Board—representing 24 local government, business, tribal, and civil society entities across the North Slope of Alaska, in close proximity to the proposed project site—issued its unanimous support for Willow through a formal resolution (read in full here).
We know our lands and our communities better than anyone, and we know that resource development and our subsistence way of life are not mutually exclusive. Responsible resource development with the inclusion and engagement of North Slope Iñupiat has taken place for over 50 years.
Our region is ready to start construction on Willow now. All that remains now is for the Biden administration to fulfill its commitment to our people and region by swiftly advancing Willow. Further unnecessary reviews or delays to the project or limiting Willow to fewer and fewer pads would likely terminate the project—and result in grave economic outcomes for Alaska’s North Slope.
Listen to Alaska Native Voices: Approve Willow
“Outside activist groups have taken turns swinging at the project but have not acknowledged what it would mean for our North Slope communities. From thousands of miles away, they are crowding out supportive Alaska Native voices. Oil and gas development has been the economic backbone of Alaska’s economy for decades, and a lifeline for the Iñupiat living in the most remote part of the country.”
Doreen Leavitt, Director of Natural Resources, Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope
“Our traditions, like subsistence hunting, form the bedrock of our Inupiaq culture and are of the utmost importance when considering new economic development opportunities in the North Slope. The Willow Project will make it possible for our community to continue our traditions while strengthening the economic foundation of our region for decades to come.”
Nagruk Harcharek, President, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat
“It has been meticulously planned to coexist with the wildlife, with the tundra, with the subsistence lifestyle of the North Slope. Think about it. You would not have had the two whaling captains that were wandering the halls this week if they felt that this was going to be harmful to their subsistence activity, or to the subsistence caribou.”
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)