Political Quotes

“In part, Matthew states: As ANWR debates occur, the views of the Inupiat who call the area home are oftentimes left out. The wishes of the people who live in and around the refuge's coastal plain frequently are drowned out by people who live hundreds--even thousands--of miles away, many of whom have never bothered to set foot anywhere near the Arctic. Well, today is a new day. He goes on to speak to the Voice of the Arctic Inupiat, which has members from across the Arctic Slope who have voted unanimously to pass a resolution supporting oil and gas development in the 1002 area. He goes on further to state: When oil was first discovered on our land in 1969, the Inupiat were worried of industry activities and fought hard for self-determination to protect our subsistence resources. So we fully understand the trepidation from outsiders: the fear that the presence of industry on the coastal plain of ANWR could disrupt wildlife and affect America's manufactured perspective of our land and culture. However, we also have the benefit of decades of experience working with the oil and gas industry to implement stringent regulations to protect our lands, and the industry consistently has lived up to our standards. Prudhoe Bay, the largest oil field on the continent, located 60 miles west of the coastal plain of ANWR, has demonstrated for four decades that resource development and ecological preservation can co- exist in the Arctic.…”