. >> austin ahmasuk is an inupiaq native who was born and raised in nome alaska. >> my major concern with any oil development in that neck of the woods is response readiness. what's going to happen if some disaster occurs. are we ready? and, frankly, from from my own experience in this region, i know that we're not totally ready for a gigantic disaster, that's what scares me. >> but alaskans also depend on oil to keep their state running. about 90% of its budget is supplied by oil revenues. slumping oil prices have caused those revenues to drop. >> there's been drilling done in the arctic for years. successfully. >> denise michels has been mayor of nome alaska for 12 years. >> if an oil spill happens, by law the companies that are doing the drilling, are supposed to have assets in place to control that. but the reality is, our weather is unpredictable, and so it's any marine activity happening in the arctic that we're concerned about. >> i think living in alaska you become quite aware of the realities of oil. it brings a tremendous number of benefits. there are ways of life that aren