On the recordSeptember 12, 2019
As I said, this amendment is a delay tactic to ensure that the current administration will lock in a lease sale before protections can go into place or before they are finally run out of office. It does not require consultation with the Gwich'in people, many of whom are here today. These are the folks who consider the coastal plains sacred. They have relied on the Porcupine caribou since time immemorial for their cultural, spiritual, and physical sustenance, as well as food security. There was no demand for Tribal consultation prior to this little provision being slipped in to the tax giveaway in the previous Congress. What we are hearing today is a very selective interest in consultation that would place the entire process in the hands of a Department of the Interior whose only interest is serving the interests of big oil. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment and ``yes'' on the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young). The question was taken; and the Chair announced that the noes appeared to have it.
