[Corporations] Alaska Natives Condemn Bush Oil Drilling Plan

[Mike Ewall]

Please Disseminate

REDOIL
NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Norman Anderson (907)842-3566 or (907)439-2698/ nakneknorm101 at hotmail.com
Faith Gemmill, REDOIL Network (907) 750-0188 / redoil1 at acsalaska.net
		
For Immediate Release
January 10, 2007

Alaskan Natives Condemn Bush lifting of Presidential Withdrawal for 
Offshore Development in Bristol Bay

Fairbanks, Alaska - President Bush today executed his presidential 
authority to remove long-standing protection of Alaska Bristol Bay. 
This action by Bush withdraws the prohibition on offshore oil and gas 
development within what is one of the Nations most important 
commercial and subsistence use areas.

REDOIL (Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands) has 
consistently supported the Bristol Bay regions tribes and communities 
and their right to subsistence and commercial fishing economic self 
sufficiency.  REDOIL is a network of Alaska Native grassroots 
leadership. REDOIL recently sent a letter to President Bush and 
Governor Palin in support of maintaining the Presidential Withdrawal.

The North Aleutian Basin is valuable to the local communities for its 
abundant subsistence resources that sustain traditional Alaska Native 
cultures and ways of life. Bristol Bay is one of the most productive 
areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf regions.  Several 
endangered species depend on these waters including the northern 
right whale whose critical habitat is likely to be designated within 
or directly adjacent to the area of highest industry interest.  The 
region is ringed by unparalleled estuaries critical to the region's 
ecological productivity and the lease sale area overlaps with 
fisheries of national significance including pollock, cod, red king 
crab, herring and the world's largest salmon run.  Bristol Bay 
fisheries are the base of the economy and livelihood for residents of 
the region. Bristol Bay is extremely sensitive to potential seismic 
testing, oil spills, and chronic pollutants from offshore drilling 
operations associated with both oil and natural gas development.  The 
risk posed to Bristol Bay subsistence resources and the livelihood of 
local residents is unacceptable. Therefore REDOIL strongly condemns 
the Presidential lifting of the ban on offshore drilling within this 
critical commercial and subsistence use area.

"This shortsighted decision to open Bristol Bay to offshore oil and 
gas leasing will have long term adverse physical, social, cultural, 
spiritual, and economic impacts to the Native communities that rely 
upon this critical subsistence and commercial use area to meet their 
needs.  Salmon is one of the most important species that provides for 
and nurtures the way of life of the Native communities within this 
region.  We will support the local communities and their opposition 
to offshore development and we intend to assist them to seek 
protection within the new congress despite todays' setback", states 
Faith Gemmill, Outreach Coordinator for the REDOIL Network.

Alaska Natives, American Indians and Indigenous Peoples globally have 
always viewed human rights and a healthy environment as fundamentally 
linked. Careful management and protection of the Arctic environment 
is a requirement for the enjoyment of Alaska Native human rights, 
particularly as they relate to the "subsistence" or "traditional" 
economy. "As Indigenous Peoples of Alaska we have long fought for 
recognition of subsistence rights as a basic inherent fundamental 
human right," says Gemmill.

Existing international law already protects subsistence rights.  This 
right is recognized and affirmed by civilized nations in the 
international covenants on human rights.  Article I of both the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the 
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights read in part:

"In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence."

Alaska Native communities are constantly working toward basic 
survival.  The term "subsistence" may not mean much to citizens of 
the United States, but to Alaska Natives the term "subsistence" is 
about their rights, livelihood and survival.

Norman Anderson, subsistence fisherman from Nak Nek, Alaska 
concludes, "All five species of salmon are the mainstay of the 
economy of our communities.  Lifting the Presidential Withdrawal is a 
threat to our subsistence resources which would be completely 
depleted from any offshore development within Bristol Bay.  Through 
long term use and occupancy, we understand this ecosystem better than 
most.  Oil and gas exploration would devastate our subsistence 
lifestyle.  Any spill of any magnitude would destroy our way of 
life.  The North Aleutian basin is our store.  Anything that 
jeopardizes the purity of this area would detrimentally impact us."
		
The REDOIL Network is supporting the local communities of Bristol Bay 
that have gone on record in opposition to offshore drilling of this 
critical region, these groups include an array of diverse groups of 
the fishing industry, Native Associations and Tribal Governments and 
Public Interest Groups.

####

The REDOIL Network consists of grassroots Alaska Natives of the 
Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Tlingit, Gwich'in, Eyak and Denaiana 
Athabascan tribes who have formed a network to address the human and 
ecological health impacts of the unsustainable development practices 
of the fossil fuel industry in Alaska. The REDOIL Network strongly 
supports self-determination rights of tribes in Alaska as well as a 
just transition from fossil fuel development and promotes the 
implementation of sustainable development on or near Indigenous 
lands. The REDOIL Network is a project of the Indigenous Environmental Network.