Oppose the BLM's sloppy, reckless Arctic drilling plan

In 2017, the Trump administration snuck language into the tax bill that would open the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling. Since then they've only gotten greedier -- and sloppier. They're clearly rushing to hand the Refuge over to Big Oil before their decision can be reversed in 2020. And we need to do everything in our power to make sure they miss that deadline.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) just released a detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that outlines their drilling plans. And while the tax bill recommended opening 800,000 acres to drilling, this new plan ups that number to a minimum of one million.

The EIS is also supposed to consider the harm that drilling could do to wildlife and Alaska Native tribes, but the BLM is intent on ignoring any concerns that might get in the way of short-term profit.

There would be lots of harm -- burning the oil in the Refuge would be the carbon equivalent of adding 776 million cars to the road. It would also threaten the human rights of the Gwich'in, who consider the Refuge sacred and rely in its caribou population for 80% of their food supply.

Add your comment and tell the BLM that this sloppy, reckless oil grab is an outrage.

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The Arctic Refuge is one of America's last wild places, and the overwhelming majority of Americans support its protection. At a time when the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the United States, burning the oil in the Refuge would be the carbon equivalent of adding 776 million more cars to the road. A few corporations might make money from this deal, but all of us will suffer the long-term consequences of their greed.

And members of the Gwich'in Nation will feel the impact of Arctic drilling most acutely. Your plan fails to address the fact that oil exploration will likely drive away the Porcupine caribou herd, thus depriving the Gwich'in of 80% of their food supply. Any plan that prioritizes corporate greed over human rights is unacceptable, and Arctic oil exploration cannot be allowed to move forward.

Drilling in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge poses unacceptable risks to our wildlife, climate, and the members of the Gwich’in Nation. Your agency’s draft Environmental Impact Statement is further proof that this administration is dead set on ignoring climate science, human rights, and basic common sense in pursuit of short-term profits. The Arctic Refuge is one of America's last wild places, and the overwhelming majority of Americans support its protection. At a time when the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the United States, burning the oil in the Refuge would be the carbon equivalent of adding 776 million more cars to the road. A few corporations might make money from this deal, but all of us will suffer the long-term consequences of their greed. And members of the Gwich'in Nation will feel the impact of Arctic drilling most acutely. Your plan fails to address the fact that oil exploration will likely drive away the Porcupine caribou herd, thus depriving the Gwich'in of 80% of their food supply. Any plan that prioritizes corporate greed over human rights is unacceptable, and Arctic oil exploration cannot be allowed to move forward.

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Peter Mather