Polar Bear Petition – Stop Arctic Drilling
The Trump administration is barreling ahead with approvals for destructive oil and gas drilling in the sensitive Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — some of the best polar bear denning habitat in the country.1
The Threat to Polar Bears and the Arctic
Make no mistake. Drilling is bad for wildlife and the environment.
Land near the Arctic Refuge bears the scars from fossil fuel sites that were shuttered decades ago.2 Spills and accidents still occur at nearby oil and gas sites, damaging delicate ecosystems and the irreplaceable wildlife that makes its home within the Refuge.3
Polar bears den here, but the noise and traffic that could come with new drilling could disturb polar bear moms, causing them to abandon their cubs. Without a mother, cubs have little chance for survival.4
Opportunity for Victory
Fortunately, Congress has the power to stop the administration’s destructive drilling plans — and protect the Refuge’s wildlife.
Last year, Senator Ed Markey and Representative Raul Grijalva introduced legislation to once again ban destructive drilling in this fragile wildlife habitat.
With a new Congress now seated, we’re calling on these lawmakers to once again take a stand for this special place and its wildlife — by once again barring drilling in this unique and wild place.
How You Can Help
Seismic testing and other destructive fossil fuel operations could begin in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as soon as this winter, so it’s important that we act soon.5
1. Miranda Green, “Latest Trump plans would open Alaskan Arctic to drilling by next summer,” The Hill, December 20, 2018.
2. Henry Fountain, “See the Scars That Oil Exploration Cut Across Alaska’s Wilderness,” The New York Times, August 3, 2018.
3. Alex DeMarban, “Prudhoe Bay spill in April leads to wider review, suspension of 14 wells,” Anchorage Daily News, July 18, 2017.
4. Henry Fountain and Steve Eder, “Drilling in the Arctic: Questions for a Polar Bear Expert,” The New York Times, December 3, 2018.
5. Joel K. Bourne, Jr., “Oil prospecting may begin in Alaska refuge this winter” National Geographic, November 20, 2018.