Political Quotes

“I insert in the Record a letter from the president of Voice of the Arctic Inupiat, which is in strong opposition to this legislation. Voice of the Arctic Inupiat Point Hope, AK, March 20, 2019. Congressman Jared Huffman, Washington, DC. Representative Huffman, Voice of the Arctic Inupiat (VOICE) strongly opposes H.R. 1146 amending Public Law 115-97 to repeal the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) oil and gas leasing program. Beyond the fact that your bill would repeal an opportunity that the Inupiat people have fought for decades to achieve, we are struck by the lack of knowledge displayed in this legislation, which completely ignores the existence of the Inupiat people, and especially the people of Kaktovik. The Native Village of Kaktovik is a federally recognized tribe and the Kaktovikmiut have occupied the Coastal Plain for at least 11,000 years. The Coastal Plain is home to more than just caribou and none of the Coastal Plain is wilderness. It is not a place without people; it never has been--it has been continuously occupied by the Inupiat people and our ancestors for millennia, and we find it insulting that you fail to acknowledge this history Currently, the Coastal Plain is the home of a community of over 200 people. People who live, hunt, fish, raise their families, and hope for a secure economic future for their children.…”