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 Section 7(i) of ANCSA. 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.
The recent federal environmental, budget and energy policy debates have brought national attention to ANWR, a remote area of Northern Alaska. Oil development within ANWR will provide additional sources of oil to the nation, benefit the Alaskan economy and create local employment opportunities for Native communities and businesses involved in oil field services. It may also significantly benefit the shareholders of Native Corporations receiving revenues from ANWR lands.
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.
If you are a Sealaska shareholder, you can contact members of your federal congressional delegation to send a message with your thoughts on this issue.
Senator Ted Stevens 522 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 202.224.3004 fax 202.224.2354 http://stevens.senate.gov
Senator Lisa Murkowski 709 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 202.224.6665 fax 202.224.5301 http://murkowski.senate.gov
Representative Don Young 2111 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202.225.5765 fax 202.225.0425 http://donyoung.house.gov