The Politics of Oil
by Clive Tesar
The Arctic Council has released a version of its Arctic Oil and Gas Assessment, prompting new discussion about the effects of oil and gas development in the Arctic.
Patricia Cochran, Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council , spoke at an event held when the Assessment was released. She recalled the words of another Inuit Leader, Eben Hopson, founder of the ICC, who more than thirty years ago told a major pipeline inquiry
“The politics of the Arctic are no longer the politics of the people, but they are the politics of oil.”
Cochran also pointed to a conclusion reached by Michael Baffrey, one the authors of the Assessment, that
“When local organizations and institutions lack power, local interests are likely to be neglected, so that costs are borne disproportionately by local residents while benefits accrue primarily at the regional and national levels.”
Posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
Under: Arctic, Arctic Council, Inuit, Oil and Gas, USA | No Comments »