by Thom Leonard
Subcommittee for the Indigenous Peoples of the United States focused on climate change impact to tribal communities.
On February 12, the U.S. House of Representative’s Natural Resource Committee held a hearing on the impact of climate change to Tribal Communities. Calista Corporation’s Government Relations Liaison Jennine Jordan spoke to the committee.
“In 2007, the State of Alaska created the Subcabinet on Climate Change, identifying communities in the most critical need of support. The Subcabinet’s Immediate Action Work Group identified ‘six communities in peril,’” said Jordan. “In addition, the U.S. Government Accountability Office [found that] four were considered to be dire: Newtok, Kivalina, Shishmaref and Shaktoolik.”
Newtok sits on the Bering Sea coast in the Calista Region. There are no year-round roads in the entire region, which is roughly the size of Oregon. Newtok residents are working to move to a new site nine miles away called Mertarvik.
Jordan continued, “Throughout the state, local companies and Alaska Native Corporations have pitched in to help communities battling erosion caused by climate change. Calista Corporation through its subsidiary, Brice Companies, has repaired gabion walls and breakwater for decades for villages affected by climate change. We are working currently in St. George and at the Kivalina Airport. We do this because we enjoy working within Alaska to rebuild communities in partnership with the state and federal government.”
Jordan’s full testimony can be found at calistacorp.com. The House Natural Resources Committee posted the full hearing on YouTube, Jordan’s testimony can be found at http://bit.ly/yt-2019FebCalDC.
Calista Corporation is the parent company of more than 30 subsivdiaries in the following industries: military defense contracting, construction, real estate, environmental and natural resource development, marine transportation, oil field services and heavy equipment sales, service and rentals.
