HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 301 Draft 01 1994-1996COUNTY OF HAWAII- STATE OF HAWAII
RESOLUTION N0. :~n1 9_~_
A RESOLUTION RELATING TO OIL DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARCTIC NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE
WHEREAS, the people of Hawaii County recognize the value of our Hawaiian cultural
heritage and this recognition of our indigenous cultural heritage produces reverence for other
indigenous cultures around the world; and
WHEREAS, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to the Gwich' in people who
have inhabited the Arctic for 1,000 generations; and
WHEREAS, the Gwich' in people are among the last subsistence hunting cultures in the
world, relying on the abundance of fish and wildlife in the Arctic region for their subsistence;
and
WHEREAS, the 1.5 million acre Coastal Plain is the most biologically productive region
in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and is the calving ground for the Porcupine River
Caribou Herd; and
WHEREAS, the Porcupine River Cazibou Herd is the primary source of sustenance for
the Gwich' in people and is one of the largest Cazibou herds in the world; and
WHEREAS, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the home of 160 species of animals
including musk-oxen, azctic foxes, grizzly beazs, wolves, and 62 species of fish; and
WHEREAS, 130 species of birds use the refuge to breed and to forage during their
annual migrations, including more than two dozen species of migratory birds that are native to
Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge contains the only 125 miles of Alaska
1,100 mile coastline which aze not currently available for oil development; and
WHEREAS, according to the National Audubon Society, there have been 23,000 oil
spills resulting from Alaskan oil development at Prudhoe Bay since 1972, which amounts to
over 4 million gallons of oil that have polluted the surrounding environment; and
WHEREAS, 20 of 21 waste disposal sites at the Prudhoe Bay complex were found to
violate EPA standazds and toxic drilling wastes often contain carcinogenic PCB's; and
WHEREAS, since 1972, fill operators discharged 64 million gallons of toxic drilling
wastes directly onto the tundra and another 37 million gallons onto roadways; and
WHEREAS, the Prudhoe Bay complex emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxide, the gases which aze the principal ingredients of acid rain, with an annual output
of approximately 600 tons of sulfur dioxide and approximately 27,000 tons of nitrogen oxide;
and
WHEREAS, lichens, which aze the primary food of the cazibou, have proven to be
susceptible to acid rain damage; and
WHEREAS, the information cited above demonstrates the environmental damage that
has resulted from oil development in azctic Alaska, indicating that our Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge should remain untouched by such development, which would not only despoil a national
treasure but would impact the culture and subsistence of the Gwich' in people; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii Senators, Daniel K. Akaka and Daniel K. Inouye, voted for the
legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development, which is contained in
the federal budget reconciliation bill, and President Bill Clinton has vetoed this legislation.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF
HAWAII that it supports the indigenous culture of the Gwich' in people, who have persisted in
the Arctic for 1,000 generations, and that it opposes oil development in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it urges Senator Daniel K. Akaka and Senator
Daniel K. Inouye to reconsider their position on oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge if and when they deliberate on future legislation regarding such development.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it urges the President of the United States to
continue to veto any legislation passed by the Congress which opens the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to oil development.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the County of Hawaii transmit copies of
this Resolution to the President of the United States, the State of Hawaii's delegation to the
Congress, and to the Gwich'in people.
Dated: Hilo, Hawaii, this 17th day of April , 1996.
INTRODUCED BY:
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Reference C-1085/RF~DC-14
COUNTY CLERK CHAIRMAN & PRESIDING OFFICER RESOLUTION NO. a31~I7 ~~
COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNTY OF HAWAII