Arctic Iñupiat Offshore joins Arctic Coalition

Arctic Iñupiat Offshore (AIO) have announced that it is joining the Arctic Coalition, a collection of 21 Alaskan and nationwide organizations that support responsible energy development in and off the coast of Alaska.

The group is calling on the Obama administration to listen to the views and perspectives of Alaska residents and keep Alaska’s Arctic offshore acreage in the forthcoming federal energy leasing program, reads a press release from The Arctic Energy Center.

Formed in July 2014, AIO is a joint venture of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and six North Slope village corporations, created to allow native communities to invest directly in energy-related projects in and near their areas. In total, the organizations collectively represent around 13.000 Iñupiat people.

Important for the Iñupiat people

Chairman of AOI Anthony E. Edwardsen says he is pleased to announce that Arctic Iñupiat Offshore is joining the Arctic Coalition, as it makes the case for the region’s inclusion in the leasing program.

“The breadth of organizations involved, both Alaskan and national, demonstrates the importance of this issue – not only to local communities, but to our state and to the country as a whole”, he says.

“The campaign we’re helping to launch emphasizes three essential truths that we believe should be recognized as the foundation for any activity moving forward: That the Iñupiat people must be at the heart of any discussion; that development must be carried out in a safe and responsible manner; and that on and offshore energy play a critical role in the economy of the North Slope.

“Too often local people are left out of decisions affecting the North Slope. AIO seeks to be a partner to regulators, operators and native organizations”, he continues.

Will not be ignored

AIO will now work with other members of the Coalition, which includes native groups, labor unions, higher education programs and others, to articulate the essential role that the oil and gas industry plays in the Arctic and the importance of ensuring that the region is not ignored by the White House and Interior Department decision-makers.

The Department of the Interior is due to announce its final 2017-2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program before the end of the year. The draft program, revealed in March, allows for the possibility of lease sales to be held for federally controlled tracts in the Beaufort (2020) and Chukchi (2022) seas.

Environmental activist groups have waged an aggressive campaign to have those areas removed from the final schedule. The Arctic Coalition has been launched in direct response to this effort and is aimed at highlighting essential role that oil and gas development plays in the Arctic.