The single biggest reason to support the opening of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development is that it is widely supported by the people of Alaska, the people of the Arctic Slope region, and the people of Kaktovik who live in the 1002 area where drilling is being proposed.
It’s absolutely laughable and hypocritical for people in Seattle, New York and Southwest Colorado – whose ancestors have long since pillaged the land and resources in their backyards – to tell us how to preserve ours. It’s a slap in the face to our state, our region and our people.
It’s exactly the same as saying “it’s OK for everyone else in the country to have a thriving economy, but you can’t have one at all.”
George Kaleak, Sr.
Kartovik, Alaska