Despite four years of intense arm-twisting by political players and industry insiders to put drilling rigs on the sacred calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, there are no rigs. Protected areas in the western Arctic also remain mostly unscathed, despite hasty attempts to push project and management plan approvals through processes devoid of scientific integrity or compliance with the law.… Read More
We got good news when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted our motion for an emergency order stopping blasting, gravel mining, and road construction on the ConocoPhillips’ Willow project. On-the-ground construction would do real and immediate harm.… Read More
The first anti-discrimination law in a U.S. state or territory passed in Alaska in 1945, and was signed into law on Feb. 16–or what we now know as Elizabeth Peratrovich Day in Alaska. She brought her experience, intelligence, and potent oratory skills to the legislative chamber on the day of the vote to cut through the palpable and overt racism. … Read More
Many of us feel a palpable sense of relief right now. We just transitioned from an administration that made name-calling and bullying the centerpiece of its legacy to one that is putting science, racial justice, and Tribal sovereignty front and … Read More
We went to court in December to stop ConocoPhillips from doing road building, blasting, and gravel mining as part of its Willow project in the western Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. A lot has changed since then, but not the project’s … Read More
Right after the Inauguration, President Biden signed an executive order directing the incoming secretary of the Interior Department to review the entire Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas leasing program and temporarily halt all activities related to it. This … Read More
On Friday Jan. 6, during the siege on the Capitol, Gov. Dunleavy announced that the state of Alaska would appeal the Army Corps’ denial of a permit for the proposed Pebble mine. So in our first Pebble update 2021, we … Read More
Sharing the same space really matters. It helps us understand each other more fully, with compassion, and to better communicate the nuance when making a point, light heartedly ribbing a friend, sharing a favorite song by oversharing it, or dishing out another cinnamon roll–oh how I miss my mother’s homemade holiday cinnamon rolls! … Read More
We filed a motion in U.S. District Court requesting a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to stop ConocoPhillips from starting harmful winter road construction and gravel mining in the western Arctic because of immediate threats to people and wildlife. It also challenges the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s failure to ensure impacts to polar bears will be mitigated.… Read More