The Inupiat Eskimo are coastal dwellers that derive many of their subsistence foods from the sea. While they also worry about possible threats to the Porcupine herd from the proposed drilling of oil, they stand to gain sustantially from the leasing of their potentially rich coastal land to the oil companies. Concerns such as these can easily heighten conflicts between those northern Natives who rely on hunting and fishing for much of their daily sustenance, and those who look to oil-generated wage employment as their most important means of economic livelihood. The Gwich'in's opposition to drilling in the Refuge also strain relations with non-Native Alaskans who perceive their jobs and standard of living to be closely linked to the continued production of North Slope oil. Nor are frictions limited to the interplay of multinational oil companies, environmental oganizations, and indigenous peoples.
Conflicts also exist between various departments of the national, state, and local governments.
For example, within the US government itself, the Department of Interior's Mineral Management Service enables oil and gas development through their leasing enterprises. At the same time, another another agency, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is committed to protecting the fauna and other renewable resources within its jurisdiction. Similar strains are found between the federal and state governments. While the federal government is a major owner of potential petroleum-producing property in Alaska, its revenue needs are only minimally tied to these lands. Thus, its perspective on oil extraction is more likely to address national energy levels, international trade, and foreign policy issues.