Political Quotes

“These articles highlight the reality of the issue of the Gwich'ins, which is a legitimate concern they have over the Porcupine caribou herd, and the realization that now this issue has taken on a new dimension because most of the Gwich'ins live in Canada. There is a small portion who live in Alaska in this general area. I might add, this line shows the division between the United States and Canada. Here is the Canadian activity going on on the Canadian side. This is primarily, of course, the home of the Gwich'ins. Nearly 90 percent of the Gwich'ins live in Canada. Only 800 live in Alaska. The Alaska Gwich'ins live only 250 miles from the coastline. Our Gwich'ins are down here in the Gwich'in area of the Arctic village. What we have here is a massive public relations effort, funded by extreme environmental groups, to suggest that somehow the Gwich'in people's lifestyle is at risk in opening this area. They never acknowledge what is going on with the same Gwich'ins on the Canadian side, where they see an opportunity for better employment, health care, a better way of life for their young people. It is important to understand this issue is more than a public relations issue by the Sierra Club and others, suggesting that somehow the Porcupine caribou herd is going to be decimated by a mild amount of activity here, when clearly this is the indication of the path of the migratory caribou herds, and the Canadians run a highway right across the pass.”