Environmental Conflict in Alaska

Rating:
Summary: More Important Today than When It Was Written
Review: Since Alaska became a state in 1959, it has largely been ignored by the continental forty-eight states. The largest state in the Union, it sits quietly, noticed primarily by travelers who are called to its rugged natural beauty, and by investors and workers who are lured by the promise of oil or gold or fish. Over the past four decades, environmentalists have fought to protect whales and wolves and ecosystems from pollution and destruction, while businesspeople have struggled to find and make use of the abundant resources Alaska offers.

Inevitably, conflicts have arisen-these two groups have mutually exclusive needs and wants for the State, and they have been equally passionate about supporting their causes. ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT IN ALASKA traces the history of these conflicts, and shows how Alaska's developing environmental movements and regulations have influenced the rest of the United States.

The book is readable, and full of fascinating stories of beleaguered officials, and plucky citizens who learn to form effective organizations. There are heroes and villains, but the tone is always respectful and fair. It is all grounded in solid research, and the stories are supported with dozens of helpful photographs, maps and tables. Ross has done his homework, and the result is a thorough and reliable study.

For many young citizens of the United States today, the debate over George W. Bush's plan to permit drilling for oil in Alaska is a brand new debate. My college students were born well after the Alaska Pipeline was laid, and the Exxon Valdez spill happened while they were in elementary school. For the most part, they picture Alaska as a pristine wilderness, dotted here and there with isolated log cabins. It's so vast as to be limitless, and they don't understand why some people make a fuss over poking a few holes in one corner of it. ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT IN ALASKA will do its most important work if it reaches this generation of readers, providing them a sense of the history and the community that has brought us to today's debate.