‘Silence, Stonewall, And Scorn’: Native American Group Sues Biden Admin For Cracking Down On Massive Petroleum Reserve
A Native American group is suing the Biden administration over one of its most aggressive moves against Alaskan oil and gas development. Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE), an organization representing 23 Native…
A Native American group is suing the Biden administration over one of its most aggressive moves against Alaskan oil and gas development.
Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE), an organization representing 23 Native American organizations in Alaska, filed suit against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) on Friday over the agencies’ decision to massively restrict oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). VOICE is alleging that the Biden administration ignored Congress’ intent for the NPR-A and walked over the concerns and interests of Native Americans who stand to gain from NPR-A development.
The NPR-A is a 23 million acre area in Alaska’s North Slope region that former President Warren Harding first designated as an emergency fuel reserve for the U.S. Navy before being transferred to BLM’s control in 1976, according to BLM. While the reserve has massive amounts of oil and gas to offer, DOI moved into September 2023 to limit future oil and gas leasing on 13 million acres of the NPR-A by designating that acreage as “special areas,” and also to totally ban future leasing on nearly 11 million NPR-A acres.