Enough oil and gas outside reserve - Kakfwi
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 21/01) - George W. Bush's intention to pursue legislation opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling should set off alarm bells for all who value protected wilderness spaces, says Premier Stephen Kakfwi.
"People are going to start wondering, is Yellowstone going to be opened up?" said Kakfwi Friday. "What about the Grand Canyon? What about every national park in the United States? Are those not sacrosanct? Are those open to the hungers and the needs of the oil and gas companies?"
On Thursday the U.S. President unveiled an ambitious -- environmentalists are calling it alarmist -- energy plan calling for legislation to allow exploratory drilling in 1002 Area of the reserve.
Named after a section of the 1980 Act that established it, Area 1002 is the calving ground for the 130,000 member Porcupine caribou herd. The herd's range includes Alaska, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
It is estimated 3.2-7.8 billion barrels of oil lie beneath the calving ground. Bush says America needs that energy to become less reliant on oil from the Middle East.
Kakfwi noted the Government of Canada, the NWT and Yukon legislatures and the Gwich'in Tribal council have opposed drilling in the refuge.
Gwich'in of the Yukon and NWT have relied on the herd for food for thousands of years.
"There's enough oil and there's enough gas up here without having to open up protected areas like that," Kakfwi said.
