PRESS RELEASE
Date: 8/17/2020

Contact:
Siqiniq Maupin - SILA co-founder inupiaq@silainuat.org
Jody Potts - Native Movement Regional Director jody@nativemovement.org
Dallas Goldtooth - Keep it in the Ground Campaigner dallas@ienearth.org

Iñupiat People Demand justice as the attack on Alaska elevates with release of Record of Decision of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

“SILA demands BLM stop all processes of oil and gas extraction projects until justice and true public engagement are possible.” - Siqiñiq Maupin, co-founder of SILA stated. “The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Western Arctic are lands that sustain our spirits, wellbeing, and traditions, since time immemorial. These lands are under attack while our communities are being left behind. Both Gwich’in and Iñupiat need caribou to sustain our ways of life and have been divided by oil and gas for far too long. We must stand in solidarity to protect our sacred ways of life and use our voices together.”

“This is an ongoing attack upon Gwich’in and Inupiat communities of northern Alaska and their traditional lifeways. It is nothing more than yet another example of the Trump administration kowtowing to the interests of the oil and gas industry. We are prepared to take whatever action is needed to support the frontline villages and communities in their fight to protect the sacred.” - Dallas Goldtooth stated as the Keep it in the Ground Campaigner with Indigenous Environmental Network.

Today's record of decision approving oil and gas leasing on the Arctic Refuge, shows the Trump Administration's complete disregard or concern for the millennia strong Gwich'in way of life that depends on the health of the Refuge's coastal plain where oil development is proposed. -stated Jody Potts, Regional Director at Native Movement. The adverse impacts of oil development in this sacred and very critical caribou calving grounds will be heavily felt by Gwich'in villages and families food security, culture, spirituality and ways of life. The Gwich'in people will not compromise and we will defend our way of life for future generations until this sacred land is protected.

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