Dear Members of the Senate Budget Committee:

On behalf of The Episcopal Church, USA, I am writing to express our strong support for protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Episcopal Church opposes the inclusion of any revenues derived from activities related to drilling or exploration for oil or gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the FY '04 Budget being considered by the Senate Budget Committee.

The Episcopal Church recognizes the difficult choices Congress must face in balancing competing demands for our public lands, our own energy needs and security and our responsibilities to the environment. However, protecting the Arctic is more than just an issue of stewardship of God's creation. Our strong commitment to protecting this renowned wilderness is also a question of human justice and the fundamental rights of the Gwich'in people. The Gwich'in, nearly all of whom are Episcopalian, are among the oldest and most traditional Native cultures in existence today. The relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Gwich'in has existed since 1861 when an archdeacon established a church at Fort Yukon. Their subsistence way of life intrinsically links the well-being of the Porcupine caribou herd, which use the Coastal Plain as its summer calving grounds. The Gwich'in rely on the caribou for both subsistence and culture. In fact, the Coastal Plain is so sacred to the Gwich'in, they will not walk on that ground even in time of famine.

Oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge threatens the health of the caribou and the future of the Gwich'in. The rights of the Gwich'in to continue their way of life and to pass on their culture to their children and grandchildren are fundamental and must be respected.

The Episcopal Church has repeatedly called on Congress to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and encouraged the development of a clean, reliable and just National Energy Policy. On behalf of The Episcopal Church and the Gwich'in culture, I strongly urge you to resist any attempts to open the Arctic Refuge to oil and gas development in the current budget process.

Respectfully,

John B. Johnson
The Episcopal Church
Office of Government Relations