*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
Date: July 3, 2025
Contact: voiceofthearctic@marathonstrategies.com
A statement from Nagruk Harcharek, President of the Voice of Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE) on the U.S. House of Representative’s vote to advance the reconciliation bill to the president’s desk:
“The U.S. House of Representatives vote to advance the reconciliation bill to the president’s desk again underscores the importance of North Slope Iñupiaq self-determination and our homelands to the nation. It creates conditions to strengthen our economy, communities, and culture and will restore opportunities for local control over our lands in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A).
“As this bill is implemented, VOICE will continue to advocate for processes and policies that involve the North Slope Iñupiat and advance Iñupiaq self-determination to ensure the sustainability of our communities, economy, and culture.”
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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.