The Arctic Ocean is home to polar bears, bowhead whales, walruses, seals, migratory seabirds, and other wildlife. This nearly pristine ocean is the "garden" for Alaska Natives who live along its shores and depend on the ocean’s resources for subsistence.
But a plan being formulated right now could result in lease sales in these waters, bringing drilling platforms, pipelines, ship traffic and the threat of devastating oil spills. We can stop this short sighted plan.
The Gulf oil spill last summer demonstrated that even under temperate conditions with nearby infrastructure, oil spill cleanup cannot be done well and that even exploratory drilling can pose serious risks. Arctic Ocean drilling would take place in icy waters that would make cleanup nearly impossible; if there were a spill, the closest Coast Guard station that could respond would be hundreds of miles away.
The federal government has acknowledged that a large spill in these Arctic waters is likely. Why on earth would they move to lease?
While Shell Oil recently withdrew from plans to drill in Arctic waters this summer, these proposed lease sales could draw Shell and other corporations to bid on additional leases with exploratory drilling to take place soon after.
We simply can’t let that happen. Please take action now.
Sincerely,
Kathy Kilmer
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The Arctic Ocean is rich in wildlife -- home to polar bears, bowhead whales, walruses, seals, migratory seabirds, and other species. If offshore oil development were to take place here, it would almost certainly lead to a large spill within decades, according to the federal government. And a spill here would be devastating to wildlife and Alaska Native coastal communities.
Help us convince the federal government to cancel planned 2012-2017 lease sales in the Arctic Ocean. Feel free to edit our letter below to Michael Bromwich, Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. Then, click on Send Message in the bottom right hand corner.
TAKE ACTION:
https://secure.wilderness.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2261
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