A Message from the Presiding Bishop and the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska

As Congress looks, once again, at the issue of development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, we will hear many of the familiar arguments, pro and con. The debate is beginning to have a ritual flavor to it. But in our present context--high gas prices in the run up to a tight presidential election--it seems likely that the words and wedges will be even more harsh than usual.

As that happens, it is almost certain that this debate will not develop into the kind of conversation we need about a sustainable, livable, and just energy future.

Though they are certainly the biggest potential losers if drilling is allowed in the Refuge, the perspective of the Gwich'in people of Alaska and Canada has a peculiarly low profile in media coverage and public debate. In contrast, more and more religious groups of all political and theological persuasions have been calling attention to their particular and unique stake in this matter. The Episcopal Church has been particularly interested, since a majority of the Gwich'in are members of their church, on both sides of the international border. Our General Convention and numerous meetings of the House of Bishops have repeatedly called on the US Congress to protect the Arctic Coastal Plain. Where does this interest come from? What is at stake for these groups?

Many critics, refusing to engage their concerns directly, have implied that religiously oriented environmental activists are nothing more than softhearted and trendy fellow travelers with eco-extremists. With the ship of State at war and economically leaking, we need to be realistic, so they say, about the reality of oil in a time of terror. Such arguments miss the real point behind much of the religious activism regarding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The aboriginal rights issues involved in the Refuge, specifically the subsistence rights of the Gwich'in, are the deepest motivation for the religiously oriented opponents to oil development. As we hear the familiar litany of objections to the Gwich'in concerns--some native people are in favor of this development, the rest of the country needs it, it can be developed without any danger, and so on--it does not silence the most important considerations of all: development will create a significant risk to the Gwich'in and their centuries old way of life. Their unified position is to protect "Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit," which translated means "the sacred place where life begins." The coastal plain is the primary birthplace and nursery for the Porcupine Caribou Heard, which the Gwich'in have relied upon for more than 10,000 years. Development in this instance creates enormous risk to the symbiotic relationship of the Gwich'in to the Land, raising the risk factors of devel! opment to unacceptable levels.

Aboriginal rights, especially when they conflict with Western ideas of land ownership and development, are difficult for much of the larger public to grasp. That makes it even more necessary and urgent that we be concerned about them. Centuries old traditions of internationals rights and the Christian moral tradition are consistent in their support for indigenous peoples' rights as a basic component of any just society. For this reason, the churches were often signatories to treaties and supporters of agreements that assured aboriginal rights in the pursuance of a subsistence way of life. These traditions aided the development of an international moral consensus that culminated in the UN's Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Sadly, on the ground, the same institutions, including the churches, have not always been so careful in observing these traditions. Around the world, we often see that it is easy to ignore the concerns of small groups of peoples in the face of the modern nation-states' overwhelming needs for oil to lubricate economic development. In response to this mixed history, religious institutions must now commit to an advocacy of the highest standards.

For all Americans, the Gwich'in people's symbiotic relationship with their environment has become a strong indicator of how well we understand our own symbiotic relationship to the environment. Can we see our future in theirs? Congress will soon decide, once again, on these matters. It is an important decision. We pray that they will choose life and justice for all.

The Most Revd Frank T Griswold Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church

The Rt Revd Mark L MacDonald Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska