The pristine Arctic Ocean is home to thousands of beluga, finback, and endangered bowhead whales. Walruses and seals plumb the waters for fish, and polar bears and their cubs make their homes along its shores. Alaska Natives depend on these wildlife for subsistence.

Clearly, this is a place for animals, both on land and at sea – not a place for oil and gas drilling. It is a place with high environmental value, and environmental sensitivity.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, at the behest of big oil companies, is trying to rush through a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement – without taking the time to properly examine the threats that oil drilling pose to the fragile ecosystem.

The supplemental EIS itself is the result of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordering the federal government to re-do a significant part of the original EIS, after groups like The Wilderness Society found glaring holes in it and went to court.

The Department of Interior must take the time needed to do the Supplemental EIS right – and not rush through it like a teenager writing a term paper the night before it’s due.

Take action and insist on a careful and thorough analysis of the impacts of a major spill in this area – before any drilling can take place. Send your message to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar now.