Last month the Trump administration advanced its reckless plan to sacrifice the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — one of our last pristine wild places — to the oil and gas industry’s bottom line.
The draft environmental analysis it released for public comment includes three drilling proposals for the biological heart of the Arctic Refuge, the Coastal Plain — any of which would have devastating and irreversible impacts on the people and wildlife that depend upon the Arctic Refuge, as well as on our climate.
The public has until March 13 to comment on the administration’s plan to auction the Coastal Plain to oil and gas companies. Tell the Trump administration NO to drilling in the Arctic Refuge.
The Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge is home to hundreds of iconic species, including caribou, polar bears, Arctic foxes, and migratory birds from all 50 states and six continents. Drilling there would directly threaten the cultural identity and food security of the indigenous Gwich’in people, whose culture and subsistence activities are dependent on the Porcupine Caribou herd that migrate through and gives birth to its young on the Coastal Plain.
The administration is considering an additional oil exploration plan that would drag 90,000-pound thumper trucks, tractors, and bulldozers across the fragile tundra 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for several months. These activities would cause severe and lasting damage to the Coastal Plain and potentially harm endangered polar bears that den and give birth on land.
The Arctic Refuge and our climate are too valuable to sacrifice as collateral damage for the profits of polluting industries. Send a clear message to the Trump administration: No drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic Refuge.
