FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
30 October 2024
Dr. Peter Winsor, Interim Executive Director, Gwich’in Steering Committee, (907) 987-0280, p.winsor@gwichinsteering.org
Anchorage, AK – On Oct. 23, 2024, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) held their regularly scheduled board meeting, during which they passed Resolution G24-11, authorizing up to $20 million of spending for oil and gas leases in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain in 2024.
Prior to the meeting, AIDEA advertised (with very little notice) two opportunities to provide public comment: via email or via phone during the board meeting. On the morning of Oct. 23, numerous Gwich’in and their allies called into the board meeting, prepared to ask the board not to pass Resolution G24-11.
When the opportunity for public comment arrived, many Gwich’in and their allies dialed *9 as instructed to provide their comments. They heard an automated message stating that the hand raising function had not been enabled for the meeting. The board moved on, stating that nobody had called in to comment.
After this error, both the Gwich’in Steering Committee and the Northern Alaska Environmental Center reached out to AIDEA via email to notify the board that people were still waiting to comment. AIDEA staffer Robyn Reyes stated that they had printed and delivered these emails to the board, yet the board never provided another opportunity for callers to comment, and proceeded to pass Resolution G24-11. This was an incredible failure by AIDEA to engage the Alaskans in public process.
Dr. Peter Winsor, Interim Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee says, “AIDEA has made it clear that they do not care to hear from those most affected by the decisions they make behind closed doors in their boardroom. By denying public callers an opportunity to comment, they have shown blatant disregard for communities in the Arctic. Many members of our community prefer to provide a verbal comment rather than a written comment. We arranged our schedules around this meeting, only to be ignored. The impacts of drilling for oil on the Arctic Refuge coastal plain, The Sacred Place Where Life Begins, cannot be overstated. This would be devastating for the Porcupine caribou herd and for the Gwich’in people. We call on AIDEA to amend this situation and reconsider Resolution G24-11 with a true opportunity for public input. If they do not, they have made it clear what we already knew: their ‘public process’ is for the sake of appearances and they will continue to spend Alaska’s money without input from Alaskans.”
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