Alaska Wilderness League’s Environmental Justice Program works with and supports communities living on the front lines of development to maintain the unique way of life in Alaska. We have been partnering with several tribal governments in the Arctic in our work to protect the Arctic Ocean and other special areas across America’s Arctic. Twenty Alaskans, including ten indigenous leaders from the US and Canadian Arctic, participated in Alaska Wilderness Week to address environmental justice issues in their homeland.
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UPDATE: November is National Native American Heritage Month - President Obama proclaimed November 2010 as National Native American Heritage Month and November 26, 2010, as Native American Heritage Day.
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UPDATE: The Alaska region of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM) produced a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that fails to address a key requirement from the court regarding collecting missing scientific information. BOEM needs to issue a new Draft SEIS after it has reviewed relevant reports from the U.S. Geological Survey covering Arctic Ocean science (expected April 2011) and from the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling covering BOEM shortcomings (expected January 2011). Additionally, Shell’s October 5, 2010 letter to BOEM asking for approval to drill an exploratory well in the Beaufort and not the Chukchi (at this point) ignores the lessons learned from the BP Deepwater Horizon tragedy. BOEM needs to take the time needed to make scientifically-justified decisions before allowing leasing and new drilling in the Arctic Ocean. Alaska Hearing Schedule for Lease Sale 193:
· Kotzebue - November 1st· Point Hope - November 2nd · Point Lay - November 3rd · Wainwright - November 4th· Barrow - November 5th· Anchorage - November 9th
- MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: New documentary recounts bizarre climate changes seen by Inuit elders
