Opinion
Editorial: Akaka wrong on drilling in Arctic refuge


"Sen. Dan Akaka portrays Rep. Ed Case as a Republican in Democratic clothing, but on one important issue the two candidates are far apart in reverse roles. Case opposes drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while Akaka is in favor of drilling, claiming to act at the behest of "the indigenous people of Alaska." His rationale is unacceptable and displays a misunderstanding of those native peoples.

Akaka joined Sen. Dan Inouye, Republicans and only one other Democrat last November in voting for a bill that would allow drilling in the precious Alaskan refuge. The vote was 51-48. Their votes were not surprising, as the two senators had abandoned their party on this issue on previous occasions. Further congressional action is required to formally open the area for drilling.

Akaka told of having met members of the Inupiat tribe who "are kindred spirits with Hawaiians," sharing "a strong and sacred bond to their lands and waters." In a 2001 op-ed column on these pages, he described them as "subsistence hunters who depend on the land," deriving 60 percent of their diet from "caribou, marine mammals, fish and waterfowl."

The emphasis should have been on marine mammals, which is why Inupiat tribal leaders are opposed to offshore drilling, regarded as a threat to their whaling. In a 2002 op-ed column in the Star-Bulletin, Charles Pe'ape'a Makawulu Burrows, president of Ahahui Malama i ka Lokahi, a Hawaiian environmental group, wrote that only 10 percent of their food resources are migratory caribou."

Get the Story:
Akaka's stance on Alaskan refuge drilling is misguided (The Honolulu Star Bulletin 9/19)

Relevant Links:
Arctic Slope Regional Corp - http://www.asrc.com
Gwic'hin Steering Committee - http://www.alaska.net/~gwichin
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Willdife Service - http://arctic.fws.gov
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pro-Development site - http://www.anwr.org

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