Three Gwich'in tribal governments in Alaska have filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior to block oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain. The suit aims to protect the Porcupine caribou herd, vital to Gwich'in culture and subsistence. It challenges the federal government's environmental assessments and consultation processes.
The Bureau of Land Management recently opened nominations for the first oil and gas lease auction in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), prompting legal action from Gwich'in communities. In January, the Native American Rights Fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, Arctic Village Council, and Venetie Village Council against the Department of the Interior. Raeann Garnett, 29, the tribal chief of the Native Village of Venetie, which represents about 200 people north of the Arctic Circle, stated, “I’m the main protector of our land that we own and I do it for all our tribal members.”
The disputed area, known to the Gwich'in as Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit or “the sacred place where life begins,” spans the refuge's 1.56-million-acre coastal plain where the Porcupine caribou herd forages and calves. The Gwich'in, who refer to themselves as “the caribou people,” have depended on the herd for food and cultural practices for thousands of years, sharing its migratory route.
Oil development in ANWR has been debated for over 50 years. A 2017 tax bill under the first Trump administration authorized leasing, leading to the sale of seven out of 22 leases to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, which the Biden administration canceled in 2023. Last summer, Congress enacted the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” mandating lease sales. The Trump administration, upon taking office in 2025, reinstated the program, with the Bureau of Land Management opening a public comment period through March for the initial auction this winter.
The lawsuit contends that the Department of the Interior violated rights under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which safeguards Gwich'in subsistence, cultural resources, and habitats. It criticizes the determination that large-scale development would have “no significant impact” on communities like Venetie and Arctic Village. A 2024 study indicates caribou are highly sensitive to human activity, potentially disrupting migration and calving. The suit also alleges insufficient environmental review and lack of tribal consultation since October.
Garnett highlighted the role of caribou alongside moose, birds, and fish in addressing high living costs through subsistence. Kristen Moreland, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, said in a statement, “We condemn these actions... The Arctic Refuge is no place for drilling. It deserves to be protected and preserved for the wildlife that depend on it, and for all our futures.”
Compounding concerns, climate change has brought the warmest winter Garnett recalls, with the 2024 NOAA Arctic Report Card linking regional warming to fossil fuel use. She expressed worry: “I feel worried for the next generations, after us, after me. I want them to have what we have now.” A separate lawsuit was filed in January by the Gwich’in Steering Committee and environmental groups.
