Alaska Inter-Tribal Council : Advocating for Alaska Tribal Governments

DATE: May 15, 2009

TO: Alaska Tribes

FROM: Mike Williams, Chairman

Alaska Inter-Tribal Council has been working with tribes in the Arctic dealing with offshore oil and gas development threats. The tribal governments have passed many resolutions concerning the waters, off-shore development and protecting our traditional resources at our Annual Conventions and many are now available for viewing/copying on the website: www.aitc.org.
Your urgent help is needed.

The Bush Administration fast-tracked several hasty proposals that opened up millions of acres of the Arctic Ocean, Cook Inlet and Bering Sea to offshore oil and gas development, despite lack of baseline data, failures to comply with the Federal trust responsibilities to tribal governments, and overwhelming community objection.

The new Secretary of the Interior will be making decisions about whether to change course from the Bush Administration and take a new approach that involves tribes in decision-making and protects areas of critical importance to our way of life. In the coming days the Secretary will be making decisions on the fate of leasing and offshore oil and gas activity in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, Cook Inlet and Bristol Bay.

Please join us in urging the Secretary of the Interior to take a new approach and not to defend the Bush administrations’ rush to open the Arctic Ocean and Bristol Bay to oil and gas activities that threaten Alaska Native communities’ way of life. Attached is a sample letter for Tribes to use. We request tribes to send these letters to the Secretary before May 21, 2009. It is very important for Tribes to weigh in now. Feel free to strengthen the letter on behalf of your tribe.

Quyana! Thank you for consideration.