MARCH: Chugach Alaska Corporation reports on their past year's annual giving: $12,000 raised for Alaska Run For Women (running to end cancer) and the event's largest team registration, $6,500 raised for the Alaska Heart Walk, $2,575 donated to Covenant House Alaska and $1,350 donated to Children's Miracle Network/Children's Hospital at Providence, and finally, a holiday gift-sponsorship campaign on behalf of every child registered to the Nanwalek school district. Way to go! Read more here.
MARCH 9: Alaska’s far-flung vaccine program
In 2021, dog sleds are still part of public health. Alaskans have also boarded turboprop bush planes, boats and snowmobiles in a sprawling delivery effort to distribute vaccines to remote villages in the dead of winter. One team recently arrived in a village as the temperature hit negative 61 degrees Fahrenheit Many Alaska Natives — who have died from the virus at quadruple the rate of white residents — live in remote villages. For a while, that seemed like an advantage. But when the virus did arrive in those villages, residents had little access to care. In some communities, more than 60 percent of people contracted the coronavirus. But despite all odds, Alaska has administered a second dose of a vaccine to 16 percent of residents — the highest percentage in the United States. In part, that’s thanks to a steady supply of vaccines made available. But it’s also a result of persistent organizing to make sure no doses go to waste. A network of tribal health aides provide frontline health care and critical testing, treatment and telemedicine links with faraway hospitals — an approach that is now being considered in the Lower 48.
MARCH 9: Rural Alaska is getting Covid-19 vaccinations right. Here's what the rest of the US can learn
The immovable challenges of living in Alaska would, in theory, make it a nightmare to vaccinate all of its 731,000-plus residents: It's the largest state in the US in terms of land size, has some of the most extreme weather of any state and many resident Alaska Natives, who are disproportionately dying from Covid-19, live in the remote reaches of the state. And yet, at 40 doses administered per 100 people, Alaska is one of the leading states in the US when it comes to Covid-19 vaccinations. In many ways, Alaska was already prepared for a massive vaccine rollout -- they've used similar methods to deliver the flu vaccine statewide. But much of its success is by learning on the fly, coming up with creative ways to get vaccines into arms and prioritizing the state's most at-risk residents. What works in Alaska won't work everywhere -- it's over 660,000 square miles, after all, and not every state requires health care workers to travel by dog sled to administer vaccines. But the rest of the US can take cues from the state's unique approach to its unique problems.
Alaska Natives Should Avoid the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine for Now
The study results for the third Covid-19 vaccine, a single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, were good news for nearly everyone—but not for Alaska Natives, nor American Indians. The results are conclusive for lack of protection by 28 days after a dose for these two groups, who should avoid this vaccine for now and stick to the other two-dose (first and booster) vaccines. Why is that true? Why haven’t the US FDA and others said so? The first question is easy to answer. The second question’s answer remains a mystery. First, understand that much of science depends on calculating numbers. “Vaccine efficacy” takes the failure percentage in the placebos minus that in the vaccinees and divides by the failure percentage in the placebo recipients. According to FDA, page 27 of FDA’s briefing document, Table 12, 28 days after that single dose, the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the Alaska Native/American Indian population was only 32%, with a “95% confidence interval” (more on that below) indicating a 2.5% chance the actual efficacy was high as 64%, and a 2.5% chance being vaccinated actually caused Covid-19 in 29% who received active blinded vaccine. Looking at this another way, 18 of 1628, 1.1% of the Alaska Native/American Indian group who received active vaccine developed Covid-19 anyhow starting a month after being vaccinated. Comparing that to all the non-Alaska Native/American Indians who received active vaccine, 95 of 17,674 who received active vaccine, 0.5% developed Covid-19. The relative risk of getting Covid-19 after being vaccinated was 2.1 times, 210% higher, in the Alaska Native/American Indian populations compared to persons of all the other groups in the study who received active vaccine.
MARCH 11:Alaska drops eligibility requirements for COVID-19 vaccines
Alaska has dropped restrictions on who can get a COVID-19 vaccination, opening eligibility to anyone 16 or older who lives or works in the state in a move that Gov. Mike Dunleavy said could help Alaska's pandemic-battered economy. The Republican, who highlighted his own bout with COVID-19 in making the announcement Tuesday, said Alaska is the first U.S. state to remove eligibility requirements. Here's what happened. The lifting of restrictions was announced days after the state had vastly expanded eligibility to include those 55 to 64 and those 16 or older who are classified as essential workers, at or potentially at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19, or who live in multigenerational households or communities lacking in water or sewer systems. But with open appointment slots, health officials wondered Monday if many people realized they qualified. The document outlining essential workers totaled 24 pages. Officials also cited the volume of vaccine coming into Alaska and wanting to get as many shots into arms as possible. Alaska has a highly seasonal economy, with tourist and construction seasons looming. State chief medical officer Dr. Anne Zink also said the best protection now against virus variants is vaccination. The state health department tracks the number of doses that are allocated to the state and to the federal Indian Health Service, whose allocation is managed by the tribal health system in Alaska. Separate allocations are directed to the U.S. departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense and through federal pharmacy or health center programs, the health department says.
MARCH 16:Haaland confirmed to lead Interior; Alaska senators vote yes
Both of Alaska’s U.S. Senators joined Democrats in voting to confirm Deb Haaland as Interior secretary Monday. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Haaland will hear from her on Alaska issues frequently. “I wish that I could say, ‘Yes, I’ve got every degree of confidence.’ I don’t,” she said in an interview after the vote. “So my obligation is to make sure that I am on top of this all the time.” Murkowski said she impressed on Haaland when they met that she will have to embrace all parts of the job of leading the Interior Department. “Which is not only the American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian portfolio. It is management of all of our nation’s public lands, our resources,” Murkowski said. “And so there is a significant responsibility that comes with this position. And my hope is that she’s able to rise to that.” Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan were among only four Republican senators to support Haaland. The others are Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Alaska tribal organizations applauded her confirmation. So did Alaska Native corporations. Many of the corporations are involved in the business of resource extraction. Their congratulations were tempered. “While we share differing views on key matters impacting Alaskan Natives, it was encouraging to see the secretary recognize the nuances of Alaska’s tribal organizations and the important services Alaska Native corporations provide,” reads a joint statement from the ANCSA Regional Association and the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association. The Native corporation groups said they “look forward to holding Secretary Haaland to these important acknowledgements.”
MARCH 17: The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) endorses the restoration of Eklutna River near Anchorage. The project plans to restore the River into a free-flowing aquatic highway protective of Pacific salmon, benefiting Dena'ina Athabascans from the Native Village of Eklutna. The river's recent restoration efforts are predated by the recent completion of a five-year dam removal project. Despite this, the River remains largely without water due to diversions made for hydropower generation. Read more about this project here.
MARCH 17: ‘Historic and Hopeful Moment’: Senate Confirms Haaland as Interior Secretary
A diverse coalition of progressive and Indigenous figures and organizations on Monday celebrated the Senate’s confirmation of Deb Haaland to head the Department of the Interior—making the New Mexico Democrat and Green New Deal supporter the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history. She was confirmed by a 51-40 vote in which only a handful of Republicans joined with all members of the Democratic caucus who were present; nine lawmakers, including three Democrats, did not vote. “I look forward to collaborating with all of you,” Haaland said in a tweet directed at senators. “I am ready to serve.” A host of conservation groups in the state she represented in Congress—including New Mexico Wildlife Federation, New Mexico Wild, and Conservation Voters New Mexico—also applauded Haaland’s confirmation. “The global climate crisis is attributed to settler colonialism and the exploitation of natural resources cultivated from stolen Indigenous landscapes and the mismanagement of those resources,” said Pueblo Action Alliance director Julia Bernal. “There needs to be a paradigm shift and having a Pueblo Indigenous feminist perspective in this Cabinet position could instill a lot of hope for meaningful tribal consultation and more importantly tribal consent.” Bernal explained that “Haaland will bring that worldview into land and water management practices that will work towards a just transition to a cleaner energy economy and more equitable approaches to better frontline and Indigenous communities who have suffered from the presence of the oil and gas industry.”
MARCH 18: Tribal Communities Set to Receive Big New Infusion of Aid
…While the $2.2 trillion stimulus law approved nearly a year ago included $8 billion for tribal governments, a portion of those funds remains frozen in a legal battle over who is eligible. Alaska Native corporations, for-profit businesses that serve tribal villages in Alaska, have sought to receive some of the money, prompting a monthslong battle over the definition of a tribal government. The more than 200 Alaska Native corporations, which were established in 1971 to manage almost 45 million acres as part of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, were the subject of lawsuits filed by dozens of tribal governments in the lower 48 states who challenged a Trump administration decision to allow them to receive a portion of the funding. They argued the corporations should not be eligible for coronavirus relief because they do not meet the definition of government. A federal district judge in the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the lower 48 tribes, deeming the Alaska Native corporations ineligible for coronavirus relief funds. Because of the legal fight, only some subsidiaries of the Alaska Native corporations have received Paycheck Protection Program funds, though individual tribes in Alaska are set to get some relief through the stimulus legislation. Representatives from the Alaska Native corporations say that despite the successes they have had getting vaccines into their communities, many villages have been stretched to the breaking point. “Many of our villages lack road access and over 30 Alaska Native communities currently lack access to running water,” the Alaska Native corporations said in a joint statement. “These realities are further exacerbated by the economic devastation Covid-19 has brought to Alaska, along with some of the highest mortality rates in the nation.”
MARCH 18: It’s Time to Stop Neglecting the Needs of American Indian and Alaska Native Caregivers
All of the aforementioned needs, issues and disparities faced by AI/AN caregivers and their older loved ones have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health disparities that exist in tribal communities such as diabetes and obesity have been shown to worsen COVID-19 outcomes, leading to hospitalizations and ultimately death. American Indians and Alaska Natives are three times more likely to contract COVID-19 and more than five times as likely to be hospitalized because of it compared to non-Hispanic whites. Low service use among AI/AN caregivers may be even more difficult to access for those who live on reservations and travel long distances for care. Similarly, long-distance caregivers may have greater difficulties connecting with older loved ones who may lack the necessary technology and expertise to connect virtually, increasing caregiver burden. During the pandemic, these issues emphasize the importance of ensuring that informal and formal support networks are accessible to help alleviate caregiver physical and mental health strain. The systemic neglect of AI/AN caregiver needs reaffirms the distrust in U.S. institutions seen in tribal communities. Persistent health disparities have worsened COVID-19 outcomes for tribal populations, but have not prevented AI/AN caregivers from doing their best to protect their older loved ones. Aside from developing new interventions, service providers must collaborate with tribal communities to effectively assist AI/AN caregivers.
MARCH 19: Federal COVID-19 relief dollars are coming to Alaska’s economy. Here’s where the money is going.
The State of Alaska will receive a huge influx of money from the latest federal COVID-19 relief package. Some of that money is going straight to individuals. But it remains to be seen how the state and local governments will use the almost $1.4 billion coming their way. Money from the American Rescue Plan will come to Alaskans directly and indirectly. The plan includes both aid to individuals and nearly $1.4 billion to Alaska’s state and local governments. “Yes, it’s significant. Yes, it touches every facet of the economy,” said Mouhcine Guettabi, an associate professor of economy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He said the money can help get Alaska back on track after the pandemic but warns that it should be taken in context. “It doesn’t resolve Alaska’s structural problems. As big as the numbers we’re talking about,” Guettabi said. “I don’t want to say that a drop in the bucket because it’s not. But Alaska is still in a tough spot.” Let’s break the money down. First, there’s direct aid. Individual payments of $1,400 are already popping up in Alaskans’ bank accounts. Unemployed Alaskans will also receive more money. Then, there’s the expanded child tax credit. It’s a substantial piece of aid, but it’s also temporary. Qualifying families could get up to $250 a month per child from July to December of this year. Guettabi estimates that at least 90,000 families in Alaska are eligible. “We’ve never had something this grand, this broad, and this targeted towards lower-income individuals in particular,” Geuttabi said. “Think about a family that has two children, potentially receiving an additional $500 a month, right?” It has the potential to lift over 12,000 kids out of poverty in Alaska, according to The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Again, that’s money those families will only get this year.
MARCH 19: U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.85 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Aid Reopening of Alaska’s Tourism Economy
Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.28 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, Anchorage, Alaska, to implement emergency efforts needed to aid in the reopening of the state’s tourism economy. This EDA grant will be matched with $570,566 in local investment. “President Biden is committed to unleashing the full power of the federal government to ensure our nation not only recovers from this pandemic but builds back stronger,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This EDA investment in the Alaska Travel Industry Association will expand their capacity to support businesses and communities as they strive to build back stronger in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.” “The Economic Development Administration is committed to helping communities across the nation implement strategies to mitigate economic hardships brought on by the coronavirus pandemic,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This project will support efforts to promote Alaska tourism through the creation of education programs targeted to the region’s businesses, organizations, and communities on adapting operations to provide a safe and healthy experience for visitors.”
MARCH 22:Trends: CARES Act a source of relief for borough, city residents
One of the COVID-19 pandemic’s lasting legacies will likely be the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, one of the largest economic stimulus packages in American history. The legislation was passed by Congress last April and, with a price tag of almost $2 trillion, is the largest economic stimulus package in the history of the United States. One element of the CARES Act was the Coronavirus Relief Fund, through which the State of Alaska received $1.25 billion. The state gave some money to municipalities around Alaska, including the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Local governments are also expected to receive more federal financial COVID relief via the American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed in March 2021 under President Joe Biden. Locally, CARES funds were disbursed to both the cities and the borough and have gone to a number of programs to support the local economy. From the State of Alaska, the Kenai Peninsula Borough received about $37.5 million.
MARCH 23: Public lands, infrastructure hearings set to turn political
Two other hearings are scheduled for this week to be hosted by the Natural Resources Committee. The Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, led by new chair and freshman Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), will convene a hearing on the year since the COVID-19 pandemic has uniquely and disproportionately affected American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities. "The event will focus on policy recommendations from tribal health, elder, housing and Native Hawaiian experts on the current state of coronavirus and its impact on Indigenous populations throughout the pandemic," an official description reads. The panel will meet tomorrow afternoon and hear from several health officials and executives with councils and associations working directly with Native American communities around the country. On Wednesday, the full committee will gather to evaluate how a future infrastructure package will and should benefit U.S. territories. According to an official description, "the event will focus on how a national infrastructure and economic investment plan can benefit U.S. Territories, where economic growth has contracted or remained flat for decades, in part because of a series of catastrophic natural disasters that have not received urgent federal attention.
MARCH 23: Bold Justice: SCOTUS begins March sitting
The Supreme Court begins its March sitting the week of March 22 via teleconference and will provide audio livestreams of the argument sessions. The court is conducting proceedings this way in accordance with public health guidance in response to COVID-19. SCOTUS will hear arguments in seven cases for a total of six hours of oral argument. April 19, 2021: Yellen v. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation (Consolidated with Alaska Native Village Corporation Association v. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation)
MARCH 24:The Biden Administration Needs Lisa Murkowski
One of President Joe Biden’s early decisions was to place a temporary pause on gas and oil drilling leases on public lands. The decision, levied by way of executive order, was loudly decried by the gas and oil industry and conservative public officials as being harmful to local economies. That executive order was the single-most discussed topic throughout Haaland’s confirmation process, aside from the historic nature of her nomination—Murkowski specifically mentioned the order during her allotted committee time to question Haaland… What’s often overlooked in ANWR coverage is that the land is also home to the Kaktovik Village, one of Alaska’s 231 federally recognized tribes. Unlike the reservation system operated by the tribal nations of the Lower 48, Alaska Native villages exercise their legal sovereignty through entities that are known as Alaska Native Corporations, or ANCs. (You can read more about the history and modern impacts of ANCs here.) And in the five decades since their creation, ANCs have, broadly speaking, centered their economic development around the extraction and production of fossil fuels.
MARCH 24: NCUIH Testified Before House on COVID-19 Impacts in Indian Country
National Council of Urban Indian Health CEO Francys Crevier (Algonquin) testified before the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, led by Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM). The hearing is addressed the "Emerging Coronavirus Impacts in Indian Country." "Urban Indian Organizations have continuously provided services in the hardest hit urban areas during the entire pandemic," said Crevier. "There have been vast improvements from where we were a year ago with regards to the availability of supplies, tests, and vaccines, but that will never make up for the sheer number of Native lives lost. Unfortunately, despite improvements, the situation facing Natives has not relented. The bottom line is that what little data exists for Natives shows a stark reality: COVID-19 is killing Native Americans at a faster rate than any other community."… Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR) acknowledged the disproportionality of the effect of COVID-19 on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations and that the current funding provided in the American Rescue Plan Act is commendable. Still, it is not sustainable for the needs and efficacy of combatting the historical health issues that plague AI/AN people. To reiterate Rep. Westerman’s request for increased funding, Rep. Young called for the subcommittee to introduce a historical “Native people only" bill to address funding and all the needs that impact AI/AN populations and Native people.
MARCH 24: Tribes welcome COVID-19 relief funds, say deep-rooted problems remain
Advocates said the billions in aid slated for Native Americans under the latest COVID-19 relief bill is welcome, but they told a House committee Tuesday that a one-shot infusion will not solve all the challenges facing tribes. “While the American Rescue Plan provides much-needed support to Indian Country’s ongoing requests, the pandemic is far from over and there is much work still left to be done,” said William Smith, the National Indian Health Board chairperson. That includes not just health care, they said, but the whole range of infrastructure shortfalls, from health facilities to lack of broadband access to overcrowded housing, that have combined to contribute to the devastating effects of COVID-19 on Indigenous people. Members of the House Natural Resources subcommittee that was holding the hearing appeared to be receptive to the range of challenges the advocates brought to the table. “Many tribal communities lack proper water delivery systems, sanitation facilities and other disparities, which create the perfect storm,” said Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and ranking member of the committee. Tribal communities have been hammered by COVID-19. Smith said in his written testimony that COVID-19 has led to 5,981 American Indian/Alaska Native deaths over the past year. The Indian Health Service reported 189,231 total positive COVID-19 cases as of Sunday, almost one-third of which were reported in Arizona.
MARCH 25: Sgt. Serita Unin makes history as Alaska's first female infantryman in the Alaska National Guard. Her advice: just go for it. Unin, a Cup'ik Eskimo from the Kashunamiut Tribe, first joined the Alaska National Guard as a generator mechanic in 2009, at a time when women were still banned from combat units. Unin says she didn't consider transferring until her commanding officer nominated her. Unin's appointment is both an important personal milestone, as well as a bridge for other female officers. A female junior officer's participation as an infantryman is conditional upon the prior appointment of at least two female officers or NCOs within each combat arms company, as part of the army's "leader first" policy (instituted in an attempt to facilitate the cultural change of what has historically been an all-male organization). Read more here.
MARCH 25:Tribal Nations and the Pandemic: What's Worked and What Hasn't
Despite enduring tremendous loss of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, tribal nations have led the way on vaccination, according to witnesses at a hearing Tuesday of the House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States. "We consider our work with IHS [Indian Health Service] to be a success story," said Rodney Cawston, chair of the Colville Business Council for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Nespelem, Washington. The IHS-Colville Tribes collaboration led to 40% of those tribes' vulnerable population -- roughly 3,000 patients with underlying health conditions -- receiving a vaccine. And approximately 850,000 doses have been administered by IHS in Alaska as of March 22, said William Smith, chair and Alaska Area representative for the National Indian Health Board. In some communities, vaccination rates for seniors have even reached 90%, he said. Alaska was the first state to open vaccine eligibility to anyone over age 16… Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), ranking member of the subcommittee and the House's longest-serving member, recommended that Fernandez collaborate with other members on drafting "a new American Native bill" to respond to tribes' issues with housing, water, sewer, education, transportation, "you name it," he said. "Make it [an attention-getting] celebrity bill ... so that we can get something really out in front," said Young, who telephoned into the hearing. "Because right now, as I've said before in the past, in my 48 years we do a lot of talking and not much action." Fernandez told Young, "You could not see all the smiles and nodding heads when you suggested such a historic, comprehensive Native American ... Alaskan and Native Hawaiian bill."
MARCH 25: Alaskans work together to bring Alaska salmon to Native Elders and community members impacted by COVID-19
This Thursday and Friday, several Alaska organizations are helping deliver 12,000 pounds of donated Bristol Bay sockeye salmon to more than 400 Alaska Native Elders and families in the Anchorage area who were unable to harvest salmon during the 2020 fishing season due to COVID-19. The salmon distribution, being referred to as “Operation Fish Drop,” will provide 25-pound cases of frozen sockeye salmon fillets to eligible families who signed up in advance. “The coronavirus pandemic created barriers that prevented Alaska Native communities from accessing their subsistence foods, including salmon. As aid was flooding in from CARES Act programs, it was clear that the act’s scope was huge but it was not reaching many of our Alaska Native communities in ways that we needed help. Operation Fish Drop was created as a direct response to Alaska Native needs. It is critical to connect our Native people with the foods that sustain our health and heritage,” said Sam Schimmel, founder and organizer of Operation Fish Drop. “In just a few hours after posting Operation Fish Drop online, descendants from all 13 Alaska Native Regional Corporations who represent the 231 federally recognized Native Tribes and Villages of Alaska had signed up to receive 12,000 pounds of frozen sockeye filets. There was so much demand that we had to create a waiting list that now has over 500 Alaska Native families and individuals on it. It is clear that we need more programs like this that address our food security needs — we need regional solutions to our regional problems. We are working with partners and searching for additional funders to help us bring more Alaska salmon to more Alaska Native families,” said Schimmel.
MARCH 26: Yellen Says Restrictions on State Aid in Covid Relief Bill Raise ‘Thorny’ Questions
The $1.9 trillion Covid rescue plan passed by Democrats provides $350 billion in direct aid to states, cities and counties, but lawmakers — worried that the money might be used for matters unrelated to the pandemic — restricted states from “directly or indirectly” using the funding to cut taxes. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday acknowledged in testimony before the Senate Banking Committee that the restriction raises a number of “thorny” issues for her department as it works to issue guidance on how states can use the money they receive. “We will have to define what it means to use money from this act as an offset for tax cuts,” Yellen said, according to The New York Times. “Given the fungibility of money, it’s a hard question to answer.” The Treasury Department has 60 days from when the law was enacted to issue its guidance on how the money can be spent. Twenty-one Republican state attorneys general have asked for clarification and threatened legal action against the Biden administration over the restrictions, saying that the vague language in the legislation may be “an unprecedented and unconstitutional intrusion on the separate sovereignty of the States.” They argue that the restriction, if interpreted broadly, “would represent the greatest invasion of state sovereignty by Congress in the history of our Republic.” Ohio’s attorney general sued the administration last week, arguing that the law violated the state’s constitutional right to set its own tax policies.
MARCH 26: Supreme Court urged to limit pandemic aid access
The funds are part of $8 billion in aid from last year's Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act that is intended to help tribal governments respond to the extraordinary health needs resulting from the pandemic. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with arguments by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation that the ANCs have to be federally recognized governing bodies of a tribe to be eligible for the CARES Act aid. The corporations' "contrary position not only defies the plain text but also would have wide-ranging effects beyond the substantial monies at stake in this case, permitting entities other than recognized tribes to direct the federal government to engage with them in programs whose very purpose is to foster tribal self-government," the Confederated Tribes wrote in their brief to the Supreme Court this week. They backed up their position by pointing to Congress' definition of "Indian tribe" in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.
MARCH 26: Tribes welcome COVID-19 relief funds, say deep-rooted problems remain
Advocates said the billions in aid slated for Native Americans under the latest COVID-19 relief bill is welcome, but they told a House committee Tuesday that a one-shot infusion will not solve all the challenges facing tribes. “While the American Rescue Plan provides much-needed support to Indian Country’s ongoing requests, the pandemic is far from over and there is much work still left to be done,” said William Smith, the National Indian Health Board chairperson. That includes not just health care, they said, but the whole range of infrastructure shortfalls, from health facilities to lack of broadband access to overcrowded housing, that have combined to contribute to the devastating effects of COVID-19 on Indigenous people. Members of the House Natural Resources subcommittee that was holding the hearing appeared to be receptive to the range of challenges the advocates brought to the table. “Many tribal communities lack proper water delivery systems, sanitation facilities and other disparities, which create the perfect storm,” said Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and ranking member of the committee. Tribal communities have been hammered by COVID-19. Smith said in his written testimony that COVID-19 has led to 5,981 American Indian/Alaska Native deaths over the past year. The Indian Health Service reported 189,231 total positive COVID-19 cases as of Sunday, almost one-third of which were reported in Arizona.
MARCH 26: Alaskans weigh in on future of oil and gas at federal forum
Oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters is on pause. That includes a sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet that was originally slated for later this year and is now suspended indefinitely. At the same time, the federal government is reviewing its energy program and gathering input from industry experts, environmental advocates and tribal leaders across the country. Several representatives from those groups, including two from Alaska, weighed in on the program at an Interior Department forum Thursday. Nicole Borromeo, executive vice president and general counsel of the Alaska Federation of Natives, was one of the experts who spoke at the forum. She said that while Alaska Native communities are on the front lines of climate change, the federation also acknowledges the oil and gas industry is a boon for the Alaska Native workers it employs. “Alaska natives do not operate in an either/or space when it comes to the nation's energy policy," Borromeo said. "We favor both traditional and emerging forms because a combination of both best serves our state and our people." In Alaska, the National Petroleum Reserve and a large swath of Cook Inlet are both part of the federal oil and gas program.
MARCH 29: Donlin Gold LLC and partners Barrick Gold Corp. and Novagold Resources Inc. report that their annual performance exceeded the year's production and personnel safety goals. All 2020 drill program objectives were surpassed, no COVID-19 cases were reported on site, and there were no incidents necessitating a halt in production. Read more here.
MARCH 29: The American Rescue Plan: How It Helps American Indians and Alaska Natives
- $772.5 million for tribal government services, public safety and justice, social services, child welfare assistance, and other related expenses
- $100 million for tribal housing improvement
- $20 million to provide and deliver potable water; and
- $7.5 million for related federal administrative costs and oversight
In addition, $850 million will go to the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) for BIE-operated schools, tribally controlled schools, and tribal colleges and universities to support quality education delivery while protecting students, teachers, and communities from COVID-19.
MARCH 29: Governor Moves to Exert Control Over Alaska Lands and Waters
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy today sent a letter to President Joe Biden asserting state management of the more than 800,000 miles of navigable rivers and 30 million acres of navigable lakes in Alaska, expressing intent for the State to exercise its authority to manage them and the related submerged lands under state law… Access to submerged lands and navigable waters is not only helpful but critical to Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) corporations and their shareholders. Ways of life on private inholdings including building, hunting, fishing, camping, and gathering berries are heavily regulated by the federal government. Necessary modes of transportation have continually been limited to locations designated by the federal government. The governor has directed DNR to expand its online mapping resources to display navigable rivers and lakes in Alaska, accelerate its efforts to resolve a backlog of federal navigability determinations, and assert legal claims for full rights to access and use state lands and waters. If you have any comments or concerns regarding this issue please let us know
MARCH 30: DC tenure a gentle snow, ‘fierce blizzard’
As the first Alaska Native to hold the position, she [Tara Sweeney] was also prepared to elevate the complexities and diverse experiences of Alaska’s 231 tribes. (Although Sweeney is quick to point out that Alaska Native leader Morris Thompson, Commissioner of the BIA in the 1970s, paved the way for her and other Alaska Natives who have worked in the federal government.) Sweeney was raised in Utqiagvik, Alaska’s northernmost village, where her family has a long history of service. Her great grandfather created the Inupiaq alphabet and translated the New Testament into Inupiaq, so their community could learn to read the language and hear the word of God in their Native tongue. Her mother served in the Alaska State Legislature, and her grandmother was a nurse and teaching aide — a family tree which acts as a reminder that public service takes many forms. “My most revered role models always imparted the importance of serving our people. So growing up I knew that I would find ways to serve our Native peoples,” she explained. “While I didn’t think it would be as a public servant, I am honored for that opportunity to serve.” At the time of her confirmation, Sweeney was already a well-known leader, with years of experience at Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, her region’s Alaska Native Corporation. She decided to put her name forward for the assistant secretary position after discussing it with her family and mentors, and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate soon after. She expected to focus on empowering communities through economic development and growth when she first went into the role. Along the way, she also addressed issues related to education, public safety, and energy development.
MARCH 30: Alaska Native group honors, welcomes Vietnam veterans home
Now, nearly 50 years after the end of that war and on the day of Vietnam War Veterans Day, groups across Alaska and across the country honored their sacrifice with traditional dance and affirmation of their sacrifice. “This was a lot different from the time we first came home,” George J. Bennett Sr., a veteran of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division and a host of the event. “In 1968, when I first came home, some of us actually had a fear of coming home.” That empty homecoming, returning to a country unable and unwilling to recognize the sacrifice and horror of that faraway conflict, was something that weighed on many, said Justin McDonald, who helped host the Zoom event.
MARCH 31: Anchorage Assembly shapes early plans for next round of COVID-19 stimulus
Another round of federal COVID-19 stimulus money is on its way to Anchorage, though it’s not quite clear how much it will be or when it will arrive. “I’m waiting to hear from the municipal administration and they are waiting to hear from [the U.S. Department of] Treasury,” Assembly Chair Felix Rivera said on Tuesday. Right now it’s estimated that Anchorage will receive about $101 million through the American Rescue Plan Act, which Congress passed earlier this month. The Assembly has been discussing how to use the money for the last few weeks so that when it arrives, it can go out as soon as possible. Rivera said a good place to start are the waitlists for CARES Act programs like small business and nonprofit relief — Anchorage residents who need aid but weren’t able to get it the last time around. The Assembly is prioritizing the same relief areas as the CARES Act, including economic stimulus, family support and housing and homelessness aid. At a recent work session, Assembly member John Weddleton said it’s tricky to know where to put municipal aid money before it’s clear what the federal and state aid options will be.
