An oil production permit in Alaska shortly before the election?

After the current US government announced plans to open up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for the development of oil and natural gas deposits, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns of the disastrous consequences for the indigenous Gwich'in who live in the area. "The Gwich'in people live mainly off caribou hunting," explained Yvonne Bangert, STP expert on indigenous peoples. "Large scale extraction projects would make this traditional way of life impossible, depriving the Gwich'in of their material and spiritual livelihood.

Extraction of raw materials in Alaska has been a controversial topic for decades. Former President Barack Obama had issued a moratorium to protect the ANWR – shortly before his successor, Donald Trump, took office. As one of his first official acts, he lifted it again. The responsible Department of the Interior recently completed its environmental audit, and in September this year, it recommended that the auctioning of oil and gas concessions in the disputed coastal plain should be permitted. "In its report, the Ministry itself comes to the conclusion that the measures would cause damage to the environment and to wildlife, but apparently considers this to be insignificant," Bangert explained. "As things stand at present, the first licenses could be auctioned this year. Several indigenous peoples and environmental protection organizations are campaigning against this decision and are planning to take legal action."

According to estimates, there are up to 16 billion barrels of oil in the 78,000 square kilometer area. However, research by the New York Times revealed that the result of the only test drilling within the ANWR to date was disappointing. Further, according to media reports, the expected revenues for the treasury are meager, not least because of the low world market prices for crude oil. "The Trump government is in a great hurry to push through with this economically pointless and environmentally hazardous project," Bangert stated. "His opponent Joe Biden has announced that, if he wins the elections, the ANWR will be placed under permanent protection. This would be considerably more difficult if energy companies had already bought rights to large parts of the area at auction.

Today, most of the approximately 9,000 Gwich'in live in 15 settlements and communities in northeastern and eastern Interior Alaska as well as in Canada, northern Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Their cultural and economic livelihood is the Porcupine Caribou herd, the largest still free-roaming herd in North America. Their females calve in the ANWR and raise their young there until they are strong enough to migrate with the herd. According to the American Fish and Wildlife Service, the herd consists of about 197,000 animals.