The Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge is seen from the air on Sept. 1, 2006. (Photo provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Yukon Flats Tribes and the river system they call home gain nothing and stand to lose everything with the Alaska Division of Oil and Gas’s recent proposal to open state lands in the region to oil exploration. Once again we are seeing outside decision-makers trying to decide our future without our input or consent. The Tanana Chiefs Conference and 42 Interior Tribes have standing resolutions opposing oil and gas development in the area. The Gwich’in Nation and Tribes of the Yukon Flats will continue to demand a seat at the table for these decisions. We have the right to say no when there is so much at stake.
This new proposal comes as Yukon River salmon populations are collapsing. Tribes are in a crisis, banned from accessing the food and cultural sustenance they’ve depended on for millennia. No amount of money can possibly justify endangering the Yukon River watershed, or the Tribes’ health and traditions, all for corporate profits we will never see. The state should be doing absolutely everything it can to protect salmon and the Yukon River watershed, not creating yet another threat.
The ongoing salmon collapse is reshaping life along the Yukon River and is an emergency that cannot be ignored. Industry activity and the climate crisis are having a huge impact on our communities, and oil is a dire new threat—not only to traditional foods but the physical and cultural health they provide. A new generation is already missing out on learning and experiencing their own culture.
The state hasn’t shared which company applied for a permit, or exactly where this development would take place—the lack of transparency in this process is deeply concerning.
There is no place for oil development in the Yukon Flats. Not only does it hold life-giving salmon rivers, but it’s also home to intact wetlands and other waterways that sustain communities. Oil and gas exploration would be yet another assault on the health of these communities, lands, and waters, and a gateway to many more problems. An April spill of 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel close to the Yukon River, by a contractor that has supported Doyon-Hilcorp oil exploration near Birch Creek, shows that industry accidents and contamination are not a question of if, but when.
The state has an opportunity right now to do the right thing and deny this permit, to show the communities of the Yukon Flats that their rights matter more than corporate profits. The state can support communities’ access to clean water, healthy fish and wildlife populations, to plants and berries, and their right to say no to harmful development. This could open the door to disaster in the Yukon Flats. The state can deny this oil exploration application now, and any others in the future.
The public comment period for this proposal is open until July 30. Click here for more information.
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