Alaska National Wildlife Refuge

To meet both the intent and spirit of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), Sealaska has petitioned Congress to require provisions in any legislation authorizing oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) that fellow ANCSA Corporation, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), share resource revenues according to ANCSA Section 7(i). Section 7(i) is a fundamental rule in ANCSA and requires that all Regional Corporations share with other corporations 70 percent of the net profits of subsurface estate and timber revenues.  

In 1983, ASRC obtained subsurface land within ANWR in exchange for surface lands received under ANCSA. The “Chandler Lake Exchange Agreement” between ASRC and the Department of the Interior was structured expressly to avoid sharing ANWR oil and gas revenues under Section 7(i). If Congress authorizes development in ANWR, oil and gas revenues to ASRC would be exempt from Section 7(i) sharing with the other Regional ANCSA Corporations and their Alaska Native shareholders.

  Sealaska believes it is in the best interest of all Alaska Natives, and consistent with the intent of Congress under Section 7(i) of ANCSA, to share the ANWR oil and gas revenues from Native-owned lands among all Native Corporations and their shareholders.

  The other Regional Corporations have honored Section 7(i) sharing requirements, positively impacting more than 200 corporations and more than 100,000 Native shareholders. Sealaska alone has paid out more than $300 million in Section 7(i) revenue sharing to the other Regional Corporations. Sealaska believes ASRC’s Chandler Lake Exchange undercuts this basic sharing principle of ANCSA. Congress wields both the power and the responsibility to make this sharing a requirement for all ANCSA Corporations.

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