Take Action for the Arctic Refuge

TAKE ACTION! Most Americans oppose the industrial invasion of the nearly unspoiled ecosystem of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But your senators and representatives in Congress need to be vigorously reminded that they are working for you, not the oil companies. Please take a moment NOW to make your voice heard and protect the Refuge. The links below are a starting point. E-mail your congresspeople, or fill out the easy forms created by many environmental and human rights groups. Better yet, write a letter to your senators, or visit them personally in Washington, DC. At the very least, tell them that you are against any legislation that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Some other talking points: Significantly, the oil companies have shown little interest in exploring in the Refuge. They know that the geology under the Coastal Plain is marginal for a major find. Conoco and BP have both pulled out of lobbying efforts for drilling in the Refuge. A principal goal of oil drilling advocates is to set a precedent for invading protected areas in general. Once they have steamrolled into this wilderness area, they will argue that the same thing can and should be done anywhere, regardless of existing laws. The amount of oil that can be recovered from the Refuge, even under the best estimates, would feed America's gluttonous consumption for about 6 months. Even if drilling were begun tomorrow, the oil wouldn't start trickling in for another 7 to 10 years. Our time and effort would be better spent doing the difficult and necessary work of moving to alternative energy sources. The value of the Refuge as a permanent scientific and ecological resource far outweighs any one-time short-term exploitation. No other place of equal size in this country is as unspoiled as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The threat to this habitat from development has never been greater. Please act now to keep it safe. ---The Artists of the Arctic Refuge


Save the Arctic Refuge	Arctic Refuge Project	U.S. Senate	U.S. House of Representatives
*online petition*	*links to many useful Take Action pages and online letters*	*write a letter or email to your senator*	*write a letter or email to your congressperson*


Gwich'in Steering Committee	Wilderness Society	Save the Arctic	Save Biogems
*Congressional phone/fax numbers, great tips on contacting your congresspeople*	*online letter you can email to Congress*	*online letter you can email to Congress*	*online letter you can email to Congress*


	Sierra Club
	*many resources including sample letters*