PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 11, 2019

MORE INFORMATION:
Bob Shavelson 907.299.3277

Dunleavy Administration Makes Mockery of
Alaska Constitution, Climate Science
HOMER, AK—On February 4, 2019, the Dunleavy Administration rejected Cook Inletkeeper’s
request to consider climate change impacts in the state’s 3.7 million acre oil and gas leasing
program in the Cook Inlet watershed. The state’s decision will pave the way for oil and gas
leasing in Cook Inlet for the next ten years.
“It’s not just disingenuous - it’s illegal,” said Inletkeeper’s Bob Shavelson. “The Constitution and
Alaska Statutes require the state to consider and protect the public interest when making
decisions affecting our public lands and waters.”
The Alaska Constitution (Art. VIII, Sec. 1) requires government officials to development state
resources “consistent with the public interest;” state law requires oil and gas lease sales to
consider “reasonably foreseeable effects” of oil and gas activities, and to ensure the lease sale
is in the “best interest” of all Alaskans.
The Alaska DNR decision, however, chose to hide behind meaningless references to climate
change and greenhouse emissions which have no bearing on the climate impacts that will flow
from more oil and gas development in Cook Inlet. The fact remains, the state never addresses
climate change in a serious way further along in the oil and gas development process (e.g., at
leasing or the plan of operations phases).
“Climate change is turning our Gulf of Alaska fisheries upside down,” said Tom Evans, a
respected subsistence fishermen in the Native Village of Nanwalek in Lower Cook Inlet.
“Climate change threatens every aspect of our life in the village, and the state’s inaction is an
insult to our people, who see and feel climate impacts all around us.”
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 The state’s decision comes after the Dunleavy Administration removed information about the
Climate Action Leadership Team (CALT) from the state’s web site shortly after taking office. Last
week, members of the Alaska Youth for Environmental Action presented a petition to the
Governor’s office calling on him to make climate science available again to Alaskans on the
state web site.
“Alaskans know our climate is changing, and with strong leadership, we can rise to the
challenge by creating new jobs, attracting new investment and lowering energy costs.”
Shavelson added. “But not if our Governor ignores basic science.”
Inletkeeper is a nonprofit public interest group formed by concerned Alaskans in 1995.
Inletkeeper’s comments on the Cook Inlet Oil & Gas Lease Sale Best Interest Finding can be
found here and here.
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