Dear Co-Petitioners,

We have two victories to report:

1. Extension of the comment letter period to the Secretary of Interior and Heads of the Bureau of Land Management opposing their sale of oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to March 13th. If you have not signed please do so in the link below. WE NEED YOUR SIGNED LETTERS to the Secretary of the Interior, please click on the polar bears below!

2. Representative Jared Huffman has introduced bipartisan legislation H.R. 1146 the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, that would end drilling and restore protection to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This resolution will need a House vote and then to pass the Senate so you can begin contacting your representatives and senators today to let them know you are supporting H.R. 1146 the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act.

Summary of the legislation below:

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge represents the very epitome of a primeval wilderness ecosystem and constitutes the greatest wilderness area and diversity of wildlife habitats of its kind in the United States. President Dwight D. Eisenhower first initiated protection of the wilderness values of the Arctic coastal plain in 1960 when he set aside 8,900,000 acres establishing the Arctic National Wildlife Range. Today, the Refuge is visited by hundreds of hunters, fishermen, and adventurers each year who seek to encounter the Arctic environment in its rawest form, and millions people from across the country have weighed in over the years in strong support of protecting this iconic landscape. 

Unfortunately, last Congress mandated new oil and gas exploration and development without a full and fair debate and despite the overwhelming opposition of the American people. And in December, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) in preparation for oil and gas lease sales on coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, with the publicly stated goal of a first lease sale held in summer 2019. The Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act would protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from this development by repealing the controversial provision, removing the Administration’s authorization for its oil and gas drilling effort in the Refuge.

 
The proposed drilling represents a threat to the way of life for the Gwich’in people who live along the Alaskan coastal plain. The Porcupine caribou herd, one of the largest in the world, is a key food source and have their calving grounds in area where drilling is proposed. With climate change, caribou herds across the Arctic have declined by 56 percent, a loss of 2.6 million animals. The Porcupine caribou stand out for their strong numbers and benefit from the optimal nature of the Refuge for calving. Disturbances such as roads and vehicles from development would inevitably lead to the decline of the herd and a devastating threat to the Gwich’in people.
 
H.R. 1146, the bipartisan Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, would amend current law by repealing the drilling mandate and restore protections to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.