High Priority Objectives

• Advocate for permanent environmental protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, working to prevent oil and gas development by opposing leasing programs and the harms of seismic surveying.
• Support and uplift the work of Indigenous leaders of the Gwich’in Steering Committee and Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic in seeking protections for the Arctic Refuge and Western Arctic.
• Raise awareness and advocate for stronger legislative oversight of the the state-funded Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), the only current oil and gas leaseholder in the Arctic Refuge.
• Engage and collaborate in a national coalition for stronger protections from oil and gas extraction for the Reserve and its five existing Special Areas, and the Refuge’s coastal plain, called Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit (‘the Sacred Place Where Life Begins) by the Gwich’in.
• Challenge new leasing programs for offshore oil and gas extraction in Arctic waters.

Program Overview

The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the world, and it’s taking an undeniable toll on Alaska’s communities—from coastal erosion, increased flooding and fire risks, to impacts on watersheds and wildlife, these challenges are a constant reminder of the climate crisis’ worsening trends.

The oil industry has played a large role in the state over the past 50 years, but we strongly believe that expanding oil and gas development cannot be Alaska’s future. Carbon and methane emissions are driven predominantly by global dependence on the extraction and burning of fossil fuels—this dependence has accelerated environmental changes that are severely impacting Alaskans. The Northern Center has adopted the Jemez Principles and the Arctic Protocols to guide our work as advocates for an equitable and inclusive transition away from fossil fuels.

It’s not a simple path forward, but we know that healthy communities are inherently tied to healthy ecosystems. That’s why we continue to work toward robust, permanent protections for Arctic and Interior ecosystems across the federally-managed Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the Western Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (Reserve). These Arctic regions have some of the country’s last remaining, largely intact ecosystems, protecting the rights of Indigenous communities and thousands of years of traditions while preserving essential habitat for caribou herds, millions of migrating birds, fish, and marine life.

As many countries take significant steps toward reducing carbon emissions and investing in renewable energy, we envision a future for Alaska that puts community health before industry profits.