Reidblog [The Reid Report blog]

"Some Native Hawaiian groups, who fear that the Akaka Bill will set up a Hawaiian model similar to that of the Alaska native corporations, are working with the Alaskan activists to raise grassroots support in Hawai'i and to get the people's voice heard by Senators Akaka and Inouye."

"Hawaiian Natives feel solidarity with Alaskan Natives on drilling and development in the Arctic and the effect it has on traditional practices that in themselves rely on a pristine environment," says Jim Medeiros of the Big Island group Protect Keopuka 'Ohana, who participated in local meetings with Akaka and Inouye's staff in Honolulu in mid-January. "Hawaiians face the same problem on a daily basis with the shrinking of the cultural landscape, pollution of their shorelines, alteration of traditional waterways, [and] desecration of our burials."

Here's a link to the original article, and the follow-up, both from the Hawaii's Island Journal -- ?The bites below come from the follow-up, which was written by an environmentalist named Jack Kelley -- you'll see his angle pretty clearly right off the bat. (note, I'm skipping around here, since the original article is hella long):

In an ongoing oil offensive that some insiders admit is more about setting a precedent than providing fuel for America, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) on the North Slope of Alaska - one of the last true, immense pristine landscapes in the world - is once again on the brink of an invasion by pipelines and drilling rigs. At stake are 1.5 million acres of mountains and tundra, immense caribou herds, a host of other wildlife, and the lives and age-old practices of the people who have called these areas home for thousands of years. And Hawai'i's senate delegation may be a key to the outcome. [They certainly were]

...

Why would the senators from Hawai'i, a state with a highly pro-conservation, pro-traditional practice constituency, support such a blatantly anti-environmental measure? The Hawai'i State Democratic party is on record opposing drilling in the Arctic refuge, and many grassroots Democrats in the state do not want to see this exquisite wilderness ransacked for what the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has determined might produce enough oil for six months' use in the United States. Yet Hawaii's congressional leadership has taken a stubbornly different tack on the issue.

...

Setting the Precedent

Robert Redford, board member of the National Resources Defense Council, says in a letter dated 1/11/05, "The Arctic Refuge represents everything spectacular and everything endangered about America's natural heritage. It embodies a million years of ecological serenity . . . a vast stretch of pristine wilderness . . . By unlocking the Arctic Refuge, they hope to open the door for oil, gas and coal giants to invade our last and best wild places: our western canyon lands, our ancient forests, our coastal waters, even our national monuments."That statement might seem a little far-fetched to some until you look deeper.

On Tuesday, September 23, 2003, during a closed-door session of the House GOP leadership, House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas) said that the battle in Congress to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration is a fight over whether energy exploration will be allowed in similarly sensitive areas in the future.

...

The Hawai'i Connection

As members of the Senate's Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska and Daniel Inouye of Hawai'i have long partnered to bring millions of dollars of military expansion funds and other federal moneys to their states. Chuck Neubauer and Richard T. Cooper of the Los Angeles Times reported, in a 2003 article entitled "Senator's Way to Wealth Was Paved With Favors," that "Federal spending in Alaska, known locally as 'Stevens money,' runs as much as 70 percent above the national average on a per-capita basis." The Times reporters also noted, "For more than 20 years, Stevens has been chairman or ranking member of the Senate's Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Since 1997, he has been chairman or ranking member of the full Appropriations Committee, which must approve every dollar of federal discretionary spending each year. "Hawai'i residents are well aware of Sen. Inouye's similar success in bringing federal pork money to our state.

Senator Akaka's push to implement the "Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill," now known as the Akaka/Stevens Bill, has similarly called on the Hawai'i delegation's close ties to Alaska. The Akaka/Stevens bill would begin the process for Native Hawaiians to be recognized by the U.S. government as an indigenous people. It would establish the beginnings of a framework for Native Hawaiian governance. That government would then be empowered to negotiate with the United States and the State of Hawai'i over the disposition of Native Hawaiian assets.

But some native Hawaiians fear that the Akaka Bill will lead to a Hawaiian model reminiscent of Alaska's native corporations. Established in 1971 as means of settling Native Alaskan land claims, the corporations manage huge tracts of "native" land for profit - sometimes to the detriment of subsistence villages and often to the profit of oil companies and of politicians, including Stevens. Among other allegations, Neubauer and Cooper note that Stevens has a very close relationship with Arctic Slope Regional Corp., the Inupiat "owned" corporation the manages the trust obligations given to it by the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Arctic Slope is the sole tenant of a building owned by Stevens, paying $6 million a year in rent on a twenty-year lease. Arctic Slope stands to gain immensely if exploration is allowed in the refuge. "Arctic Slope is no ordinary tenant," claim Neubauer and Cooper. "A $1-billion-a-year business, it is the largest Alaskan-owned company in the state.

More important, the company - along with 12 other regional Native corporations - was created through legislation the senator took the lead in drafting. And it has prospered through his continuing efforts in the Senate."Although Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman John McCain, (R-Ariz.) recently came out in clear opposition to the Akaka/Stevens Bill, Frank Oliveri of the Honolulu Advertiser's Washington Bureau reported on January 12 that there will be hearings early this year and a Senate vote on federal recognition of Native Hawaiians.

You'll have to read the rest for yourself. Like I said, it's hellafide long. BTW McCain, who heads the Senate's Indian affairs committee, voted against the ANWR drilling...

BTW in his remarks on his vote, Akaka said it was about supporting "the native people of Alaska," and their right to exploit the land. From the Honolulu Advertiser:

Akaka said his position is based less on oil than on the desires of the area's native people. "To some of my colleagues, the debate about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is about energy. To others, it is about the environment. To me, the (refuge) is really about whether or not the indigenous people who are directly impacted have a voice in the use of their lands," he said on the Senate floor.

...While Inouye's explanation was more like, "hey, we need the oil..."

Inouye has said that since Hawai'i is an oil-dependent state, it is imperative that new oil deposits be found and developed to ensure a steady access to meet the state's energy needs.

"It is my belief that with proper regulation and enforcement, the coastal plain's potentially vast crude oil resources can be explored in a way that is compatible with the interests of the Inupiat Eskimos and natural resources located within the area," Inouye said in a statement.