It's an insidious form of colonialism under a new name. Alaska's North Slope oil fields, that produce 25 percent of the oil produced in the entire US, are the finest, cleanest, most environmentally sound oil development anywhere on the globe. Go visit it. For instance, when building in the Arctic, heat is your enemy, cold is your friend. At the North Slope, oil drilling mostly takes place during the winter.
Heavy rigs move across the frozen, ice-covered tundra without leaving a trace.
They operate from a frozen drilling pad. In the summer, they would melt the permafrost and sink out of sight. The Arctic is a different world, and it requires different answers. This is why we formed The Northern Forum nearly 10 years ago. 23 Arctic and Northern regions are now working together to pioneer wise, sustainable living in the North.