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Defenders in Action: House Votes to Open The Arctic to Big Oil
Pro-drilling forces in Congress are at it again. In late May, a bill introduced by Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling passed by a narrow margin.
The vote came despite a resounding defeat for drilling advocates late last year. "Drilling-obsessed members of Congress refuse to concede defeat on this," says Lydia Weiss, Defenders' energy advocate. "How many times do we need to remind them that drilling in the Arctic is not the solution to our energy problems? It would do nothing to lower prices at the pump, and yet it would scar our nation's most pristine wilderness with a spiderweb of industrial development."
At 19.8 million acres, the refuge is the largest in the country and home to caribou, polar bears, Dall sheep and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. Drilling would bring wells, pipelines, roads and pollution to this fragile natural area, damaging it forever. Yet the oil production in this area would have little impact on gasoline prices and our dependence on foreign oil. Even the Bush administration admits that oil from the refuge wouldn't make it to market for more than a decade.
"Since 1995, the Republican leadership has tried 12 times, using every trick in the book to pass drilling in the Arctic refuge," says Defenders' President Rodger Schlickeisen. "With support from our members, Defenders will continue to work to thwart the relentless attacks from the oil industry."
Please visit Save the Arctic Wildlife Refuge for information on how you can help.
