Priorities

Policy Priorities

Federal Priorities

Tribal Broadband

ANVCA represents historically under-served communities from remote, rural parts of Alaska, often serving as external communication representatives for these communities. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), less than 60% of people living on Tribal Lands have broadband access compared to the 97% of Americans living in urban areas. ANVCA will work with village members to identify the Alaska Native Villages with little or no internet connectivity and help them apply for funding.

Contaminated Lands Legislative Objectives:

Swap undesirable ANCSA lands with unencumbered federal property
Adopt mitigation clean-up credits and tax credits for clean-up activities on ANCSA lands
Require a minimum of bi-annual agency reporting on the status of clean-up on ANCSA lands
Provide Native contractor preference for clean-up on Native lands

Infrastructure – Energy Legislative Priorities:

Ensure that Alaska Native Corporations are included in investing and service opportunities for major public infrastructure project

Healthcare

Urging Congress to provide automatic eligibility for tribes, tribal Entities, and Alaska Native Corporations into the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program

Protect Native 8(a) Contracting and Support

Increased Opportunities for ANC Economic Development

10 % Native Contractor Preference
Develop solution to require contracting floor (goals) within tier 1 government contracts and make sure these are enforced via audit

ANCSA Amendments

Amend section 14 c(3) of ANCSA to include language requiring the State of Alaska to reconvey any lands under subsection 14 C (3) without restrictions

Statewide Policy Priorities

Keeping Alaska Native Stock

in the Hands of Native Family Members

Urging the State of Alaska to adopt legislation that would amend State law regarding the disposition of ANC shares.

Education Tax Credit

Restore the Education Tax Credit to 100% for up to $300,000 of dollar-to-dollar educational contributions. READ MORE

Formation of Boroughs Around

Lands Under Native Jurisdiction

Amend Title 29 or 3 AAC 190.110 to require the Local Boundary Commission to obtain explicit consent via board resolution from the existing Alaska Native Corporations (Village and Regional) within the proposed boundaries of a municipality or borough
Allow affected communities the opportunity to exclude or “opt out” existing private lands and other assets from any proposed new borough or municipality
Provide for a process for AVEs to “opt out” of future borough or municipality and retain these lands

ANCSA 14(c)(3) Lands

Develop a standard operating procedure at the State level to return 14(c)(3) lands to Appropriate Village Entities (AVEs)

ANCSA Contaminated Lands

Background

The goal of the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association (ANVCA) is to change current federal policy on land clean up and remediation. There are over 1,000 contaminated sites on land conveyed to Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) and additional sites on land pending conveyance. These sites were contaminated under ownership and/or responsibility of the federal government and then transferred to Native ownership.

In 1998 the Department of the Interior issued a report to Congress, entitled Report to Congress Hazardous Substance Contamination 1998 . The report identified the need for a comprehensive fix and six action items to initiate the process.

ANVCA became involved when this report was brought to our attention in 2012 by one of our member Alaska Native Village Corporations. Since 2012, ANVCA has worked to educate Alaska’s Federal delegation, the State Legislature, members of Congress, and others to keep the issue in the forefront. In 2014, Congress asked for an update to the 1998 report, to identify the status of each site, for example, if any remediation had been done, and recommendations going forward. In June of 2016 the update was released, 2016 Update Report to Congress_ Hazardous Substance Contamination of Alaska Native Claim Settlement Act Lands in Alaska .

Contaminated sites contain a variety of toxic materials including:

Arsenic ● Solvents ● PCBs

Asbestos ● Mining Waste Chemicals ● Mercury

Toxic Metals ● Unexploded Ordinances ● Petroleum & Oil

One of ANVCA’s objectives is to work with ANCs, state and federal agencies and other stakeholders to develop criteria to prioritize remediation ANCSA contaminated sites. Potential criteria could include impacts on health and safety, severity of contamination, cultural significance of the site, or economic development potential. Few studies have been conducted on the health and safety impacts of the contamination on human health, however anecdotally villages report higher rates of cancer and other illnesses linked to hazardous substances. Many of the rural contaminated sites are Villages which practice subsistence lifestyles there has been only limited research on the contaminants impacts to fish, berries and wildlife in these areas.

ANCSA Resource Guide – Site Cleanup

In 2016, ANVCA and a strategic task force including state, federal and tribal representatives developed the ANCSA Resource Guide to Cleanup for ANCSA Conveyed sites. This brochure is an overview of the current process from suspected contamination to restoration, list of potential resources, definitions and recommended practices.

To download the brochure, click HERE

To visit the DEC online database of these sites click HERE

Visit the ANTHC Website to learn more about the work group HERE

WATCH testimony from Afognak Board member Sarah Lukin to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee HERE

Contaminated sites spread through Alaska (some sites have been remediated)