Alaskans Wary of Vote on Oil Drilling

Thu Mar 17,11:19 AM ET U.S. National - AP


By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press Writer

JUNEAU, Alaska - The tiny north coast town of Kaktovik officially supports responsible development of oil and gas. But many reacted warily to the Senate vote to allow drilling in their back yard.





Even with just 284 residents, Kaktovik is the largest town on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain. Mayor Lon Sonsalla said just about everyone has concerns about changes that could accompany any work in the 1.5 million-acre stretch, where billions of barrels of crude oil are believed to rest beneath the tundra.


"We are now given notice that we have to be on our toes," said the mayor said.


A scant majority of the Senate agreed Wednesday to allow oil and gas development on the state's northern coast.


Sonsalla said his town, 850 miles from Juneau and more than 3,000 from Washington, must have a say in developing the rules for oil and gas work in the refuge, and residents' access to traditional hunting and fishing areas must be preserved.


Fenton Rexford, tribal administrator of the Native village of Kaktovik, agreed. The Inupiat village's traditional lands are governed separately from the city of Kaktovik.


Rexford said the tribal government's responsibility is to protect traditional hunting and camping areas and cemeteries.


"There's monetary value and then there is value as far as subsistence sites, camping sites, fishing sites," he said.


Reaction to the Senate vote by the state's political leaders was enthusiastic. For decades, Alaskan politicians have urged Congress to open the refuge to drilling. Those calls grew louder with the decline of oil moving through the trans-Alaska pipeline in recent years.


Democratic state Sen. Donald Olson, whose district and includes Kaktovik, is a longtime supporter of opening the refuge.


"I'm glad that it passed," he said. "I just want to make sure that the concerns and issues of the local people and Mayor Lon Sonsalla are on the front of our radar screen so they are not overrun by industry."


Gov. Frank Murkowski said he has no doubts that oil drilling will take place and he expects the state will benefit from the revenues it will share with the federal government.


Opening the refuge to drilling would give oil companies access to an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of crude oil, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (news - web sites).


The Senate still must pass the budget package in which the proposal was included. The House must take up the issue in an energy package.


"It's like winning one skirmish in a bigger battle," said Republican state House Majority Leader John Coghill.

I would suggest those NativeAmericans get their lawyer team together RIGHT NOW.

Ask the Southern Cal Indian Tribes about that. They've had "experience" with the "long knives".... <_<

And, here I betcha alllll thought everyone there was on the same wave length, just BEGGIN' for Exxon to come and do the dirty dance with them....nope.
Just the WhiteGuys.

Let's hope these Alaskan politicians have to eat crow.