WHAT'S GOING ON? | The Arctic Refuge is currently facing a call for nominations for new oil and gas leases in the Coastal Plain.
Right now, the government has opened a 30-day public comment period to determine which areas of the Arctic Refuge should be opened to new oil and gas leasing It’s vital that we show up loud and clear to once again tell the government that drilling on our Arctic public lands is not a solution to lowering prices at the pump or raising revenues.
American taxpayers are already $1 BILLION in the hole on President Trump’s previous attempt to sell off the Arctic Refuge (ANWR) to the highest bidder to afford massive tax breaks for the country’s wealthiest. Now the Willow Complex in America’s Western Arctic is also falling short, projected to cost Alaska’s taxpayers more than they’ll get back from ConocoPhillips.
Despite this record of economic failures, the Administration continues to fast-track corporate giveaways across America’s Arctic, from the Willow complex to the proposed Ambler Road mining corridor.
Enough is enough. Our public lands and wild places are worth more than being irreparably damaged by corporate welfare giveaways.
WHO IS DOING IT? | The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under President Trump.
With multiple assaults on Arctic public lands, how to best take action is a rapidly moving target. You can always visit ProtectTheArctic.org to find up-to-date guidance on where your voice matters RIGHT NOW.
WHY DOES IT MATTER? | America's Arctic is too important to Planet Earth to be gifted to corporate interests.
FIRST, oil and gas profits are already at record highs. The administration's push to drill the American Arctic while derailing renewable energy projects and removing solar and wind power from federal energy programs is a blatant corporate handout at the expense of everyday Americans and the well-being of our entire planet. Our federal agencies have a responsibility to ensure the government works FOR its citizens. Instead, it's actively helping one of the wealthiest and most polluting industries in the world at the expense of the American people...
SECOND, the Arctic is warming 4x faster than the rest of the planet. A healthy Arctic stabilizes the jet stream, reducing extreme weather events. It's an enormous carbon sink for the entire planet, mitigating the worst impacts of climate change all around the globe.
Recent natural disasters, like the devastation caused across Western Alaska by Typhoon Halong and freezing temperatures in Texas, only underscore how much is at stake, and how much coastal and Indigenous communities bear the burden of our collective action.
The Western Arctic is the ancestral homeland of Indigenous Peoples who depend upon access to clean water and unpolluted resources for traditional livelihoods and food security. And it is vital habitat for American wildlife like polar bears, bowhead whales, caribou, and wolves.
Watch the video below to learn more on how America's Arctic impacts everyone on Earth, and and explore the entire 5-part series of 1-minute videos on how the Arctic impacts global biodiversity, economies, climate, and food webs.
OK! WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT? | Educate yourself and others! Visit our Take Action page often to find the latest guidance, and follow us on social media to updates in real time.
Follow @ProTheArctic to stay up to date, and check out our Creator Toolkit for resources like maps, videos, and more to share your own content!
