FREEHAWAII.INFO PRESENTS -
A MULTI-PART SPECIAL REPORT -
HAWAI`I VOTES BOUGHT BY ALASKA OIL
From Ka Leo O Hawai`i By Juanita Mathews
Ka Leo Associate Editorials Editor
Now, Here's Part Five -
So, why did Akaka and Inouye really decide to ditch their party's stance and vote in favor of drilling?
The answer seems to lie within the Akaka Bill.
This controversial bill allows for a Hawaiian governing entity to negotiate with the federal government in order to settle Native Hawaiian land claims.
Opponents of the bill argue that its wording was not voted on by Native Hawaiians. Other concerns are about the power that the Department of the Interior and the federal government will have over native rights.
The connection between Alaska oil interests and the Akaka Bill lies in the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, an organization that is pushing for the Akaka Bill.
The president and acting CEO of this non-profit group, Robin Danner, is a Native Hawaiian with close ties to Alaska oil interests. The Council even accepted $100,000 from the Inupiat-owned Arctic Slope Regional Corporation.
According to the Hawai'i Island Journal, Robin Danner's family owns a company called Danner and Associates, which has business ties to an Alaskan non-profit group called Arctic Power.
Arctic Power is funded by the state of Alaska, oil industry corporations, including Exxon Mobil, and unions with interests in Alaska's oil industry, including the Teamsters.
Robin Danner and her sister Jade Danner received money to promote ANWR drilling in Hawai'i.
To Be Continued ...
Tomorrow - The Danners And The CNHA Exposed
