Our efforts are needed now. We continue to mobilize across Indian Country to stop oil and gas leasing to protect our sacred lands, cultural resources, water, and environments from imminent harm. Presently, the Biden administration is outpacing Trump on issuing oil and gas leases on public lands. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 allocates funds for promising increases in renewable energy and health care costs over time, but it does not adequately address or prevent devastation caused by extraction that will compound environmental degradation and climate chaos across the globe. The IRA will reinstate three oil and gas leases, two in the Gulf of Mexico and one impacting the Cook Inlet of Alaska by the end of this year. While the IRA significantly expands offshore leasing for wind energy, it also requires that oil and gas leases be offered over massive areas of the outer continental shelf as a condition of making wind leases available. Progressive policy provisions are supported by NOA, but compromise is not enough with respect to taking action on climate resiliency.

The Indigenous Environmental Network stated that the IRA is, “a distraction from the need to declare a climate emergency while allowing polluting industries to continue business as usual.” Our partners at NDN Collective submitted a letter to President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi outlining the misstep of passing a bill that links clean energy with fossil fuel extraction. “When it comes to offshore drilling, the coupling of the expansion of oil and gas with the development of renewables, is not only morally unsound but a betrayal of this Administration’s pledge to combat environmental racism and destruction.”

In unification with the voices heard across Indian Country demanding for the Biden-Harris administration to uphold promises of a transition to clean energy on public lands, NOA is resolute in pursuing efforts to leverage collective power in taking action to protect lands and waters sacred to our peoples. Efforts to eliminate environmental racism and continued devastation of our lands and waters requires true government-to-government meaningful consultation between Tribal Nations and the federal government in any and all decision-making that will impact Indigenous people.

Sign our petition today to voice your support for legislation that will protect our sacred lands, cultural resources, environments, peoples, and places. The petition will be presented to the House Committee on Natural Resources before the end of the year, December 2022. Join us in adding your name as we stand together in support of this landmark legislation.

Sources:

• On drilling in the Arctic, leases continue:
  • ​​https://www.alaskajournal.com/2022-08-03/cook-inlet-lease-sale-included-manchin-deal
  • https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/u-s-senate-passes-the-inflation-6295171/
• Cap on prescription drug costs and Medicare, not launching until 2025:
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/us/when-will-americans-feel-inflation-reduction-acts-impact-2022-08-09/
  • https://www.factcheck.org/2022/08/medicare-prescription-drug-provisions-of-inflation-reduction-act/
• Biden outpacing Trump with oil and gas leases on public lands: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/01/27/oil-gas-leasing-biden-climate/
• Clean energy transition a failure: https://prospect.org/environment/collapsing-clean-energy-transition/
• More on compromises made:https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/u-s-senate-passes-the-inflation-6295171/