Latest Episode: SIBLING RIVALRY

Missoula MT

12 July, 2021

8:25 PM

Description

Threshold July 12, 2021 SEASON THREE | EPISODE ONESIBLING RIVALRY Note: Threshold is produced as a listening experience. If you are able, we strongly encourage you to listen to the audio, which includes emotion, emphasis, and subtle nuance that's not conveyed in the text. We write and edit all of our transcripts, and as such, they might contain human errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print. NICK: This series was supported by the Pulitzer Center. MURKOWSKI (CNN): Mr. President, I don't know if you recognize...this is a very historic day, of course, but it's also the beginning of winter solstice. It doesn't feel like it... MURKOWSKI (CNN): For us in Alaska, we've had some pretty dark days recently, but with passage of this tax bill, with passage finally to allow us to open up the 1002 area, this is a bright day for Alaska. This is a bright day for America, (applause) so we thank you for that. We thank you for that. AMY: The 1002 area is a particular part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. This tax bill included a provision allowing for oil and gas drilling there. MURKOWSKI (CNN): This has been a multigenerational fight. AMY: That fight started in the 1980s, and one of the people who was leading it back then was another Murkowski. Frank. Lisa's father. A long-time U.S. Senator, then Alaska governor, Frank pushed for oil and gas development in the wildlife refuge throughout his political career, but he was never able to make it happen. But at the end of 2017, with Republicans in control of the Senate, the House, and the White House, Senator Lisa Murkowski saw an opportunity to complete the work that her father had begun. MURKOWSKI (CNN): Know that our promise to you today is a bright future. One where we care for our environment, where we care for our people, and we also care for our country by providing a resource that is needed not only by the United States, by Alaskans, but by our friends and allies. This, Mr. President, is what energy dominance is all about. So let's go. AMY: And with that, the largest wildlife refuge in the country was open for business. STEELE and RNC Crowd: Drill, baby drill. And drill now. Chant: Drill baby drill (repeats). CLIMATE STRIKE: Whose lives? Our lives. Whose planet? Our planet (repeats). AMY: Welcome to Threshold. I'm Amy Martin, and this is season three, a journey into the battle over drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Before we dive in here, I want to acknowledge that chances are good you already know where you stand on this issue, and whether you're opposed to drilling, or in favor of it, it's likely that the other position seems insane to you. Most Americans have never been to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and probably would have a hard time finding it on a map, but that does not stop people from having very intense feelings about drilling there, both pro and con. And I think this might be because most of us look at this place from a distance, and from far away, the issues here seem pretty black and white. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is owned by the federal government. That means the land – and the oil and gas beneath the surface – belong to all Americans. These are public resources, meant to be used – or not used – for the public good. So do you want oil to be drilled in this remote wildlife haven, or not? A simple yes or no question. But the closer you get to this place, the more complicated the picture becomes. For the indigenous people of this region, the refuge isn't remote at all. It's their homeland. And the whole concept of it being owned by the federal government is offensive to some people. In fact, this fight over drilling, is actually part of a much bigger and older fight about sovereignty and cultural survival. And then to add to the complexity, these two conflicts – over oil and over indigenous rights – intersect in different ways in different communities, leading some people to be strongly pro-drilling, and some to be just as strongly opposed. In short, there's a whole lot more going on here than you might think. And after 40 years, this fight is coming to a head. As we release this in the fall of 2019, the Department of the Interior is saying they will start auctioning off development rights to oil companies as soon as this winter. But, some of the opponents to drilling are trying to stop that from happening, through legislation and lawsuits. So passions are likely be running hotter than ever in coming months. Our goal in this series is to bring some light to all of that heat – to help you understand what this place is, and what's at stake if the oil gets drilled, and if it doesn't. So, as Senator Murkowski said: let's go. [THRESHOLD THEME]"ANWR is the most misrepresented place I think I've ever seen""We are a caribou people, if it wasn't for the caribou we won't be here today""It's a big opportunity that we be able to profit off of""It's easy to fall back on ideology when there's dirth and firsthand experience""Our permafrost is melting, our snow doesn't stick like it use to""It's definitely not a done deal. What they're doing is legal, but it's immoral" AMBI: boat at the dock I'm standing in a small boat, about to head out into the waters of northern Alaska. VEBJORN: Alright, we're ready to go. AMY: Woo-hoo! NICK: Alright! VEBJORN: Do you want to come inside? That's our captain, 23-year-old Vebjørn Aishana Reitan, inviting me into the cabin. But the answer is no. I do not want to come inside. I want to stay right where I am, shivering in the wind and taking in everything I can about what this place looks and feels and sounds like.