Extractive leviathan: the role of the government in the relationships between oil and gas industries and indigenous communities in the Arctic regions of Canada, United States and Russia

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2015This comparative research analyzes the extent to which the governments of Canada, the United States and Russia affect the relationships between the petroleum extractive industries and Indigenous peoples of the Arctic in order to protect Indigenous peoples from the negative impacts of oil and gas extraction. The hypothesis of this study is that the government can protect Indigenous communities only by providing for their participation in decision-making processes about oil and gas development. The comparative analysis showed that in comparison with Canada and the United States, Russia has the worst legal protection of Indigenous peoples in petroleum-extractive regions. The recognition of Aboriginal title by Canada and the U.S. allowed Indigenous communities the best opportunities to be involved in oil and gas development, whereas Russia failed to grant this recognition. Therefore, the recognition of land claims by the government is the best way to protect traditional lands and lifestyles of Indigenous peoples from the negative externalities of petroleum extraction.Chapter 1. Introduction -- 1.1. Social justice for indigenous peoples in the Arctic -- 1.2. Research importance -- 1.3. Terminology used in this study -- 1.4. The role of the Arctic in each country -- 1.4.1. Canada's Arctic policy -- 1.4.2. U.S. Arctic policy -- 1.4.3. Russia and the Arctic -- 1.5. Oil and gas drilling in the Arctic -- 1.6. Literature review -- 1.7. Explanation of method -- 1.7.1. Comparative studies: federal governments and subgovernments -- 1.8. Hypotheses -- 1.9. Expected outcomes -- Chapter 2. The roles of the federal governments in indigenous policy -- 2.1. What does "indigenous" mean? -- 2.1.1. International definitions of indigenous -- 2.2. The indigenous peoples of Canada, the United States, and Russia -- 2.2.1. Canada -- 2.2.2. Alaska Natives in the United States -- 2.2.3. Indigenous small-numbered people in Russia -- 2.3. The relationships between indigenous peoples and their national governments in Canada, the United States and Russia -- 2.3.1. Canadian federalism and aboriginal peoples -- 2.3.1.1. Land claims agreements in Canada -- 2.3.2. Federalism in the United States and Alaska Natives -- 2.3.3. Russian federalism and indigenous small-numbered peoples -- 2.4. Summary -- Chapter 3. The impact of the oil and gas industry on national policies in Canada, the United States, and Russia -- 3.1. Overview of oil and gas policy in each country -- 3.1.1. Canada -- 3.1.2. The United States -- 3.1.3. Russia -- 3.2. Federal governments in the oil and gas sector -- 3.3. Oil and gas revenues and federal budgets -- 3.3.1. The United States -- 3.3.2. Canada -- 3.3.3. Russia -- 3.4. The role of the oil and gas in the Arctic regions -- 3.4.1. Canada -- 3.4.2. The U.S. model -- 3.4.3. The Russian model -- 3.5. Summary -- Chapter 4. The legal protection of indigenous peoples: the role of subgovernments and indigenous (tribal) organizations -- 4.1. The legal status of indigenous communities in Canada, the United States, and Russia -- 4.1.1. Land claims agreements with the Inuit in Canada -- 4.1.1.1. Case study: Northwest Territories and the Mackenzie gas project -- 4.1.2. Alaska Native tribal governments and ANCSA corporations -- 4.1.2.1. Case study: Alaska North Slope's oil development -- 4.1.3. Obshchinas and the federal law "about territories of traditional nature use" -- 4.1.4. The policy of Russian sub-governments on indigenous small-numbered peoples -- 4.1.4.1. Nenets autonomous district -- 4.1.4.2. Khanty-Mansi autonomous district (Yugra) -- 4.1.4.3. The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) -- 4.2. Summary -- 5.1. Degree of Centralization/Decentralization of indigenous policy formation -- 5.2. Differences between Russian federal and subgovernmental legislation in regard to indigenous small-numbered peoples and subsurface users -- 5.3. Dependence of the federal governments on oil and gas revenues -- 5.4. Level of capacity of indigenous groups to protect their stakeholder interests -- 5.5. Summary of hypothesis testing -- Chapter 6. Conclusion -- 6.1. Findings of the study -- 6.2. Recommendations (policy) -- 6.3. Recommendations for further study of the subject -- References