NOME, Alaska (AP) - A two-day conference on Saint Lawrence Island is focused on how Arctic coastal villages could benefit from anticipated development in the region.
The conference in Gambell was organized by the Bering Sea Alliance LLC, made up of seven village corporations.
Chief executive officer Art Ivanoff tells KNOM-FM (https://bit.ly/1kkvoBA) that attendees will discuss infrastructure, resource development and oil spill response.
Ivanoff says villagers know development is likely to occur and they want to insert their agenda into the process.
Ivanoff says oil spill mitigation is a concern. He says response will mean upgrading runways and building depots to deploy trained crews and equipment.
The Arctic Alaska Policy Commission, Conoco Philips, the Coast Guard, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Army Corp of Engineers are participating.
The conference ends Wednesday.
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