Stop Big Oil's Push to Open the Arctic Refuge

Dear Senators,

I am writing today to strongly urge you support S.2316 to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

S.2316, sponsored by Senator Joseph Lieberman, would permanently protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- the Refuge's biological heart -- as a wilderness area with permanent protections.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is currently protected from harmful new drilling operations. But year after year, big oil companies and their allies relentlessly lobby for new drilling in this special place. This year is no exception, and rising oil prices have brought renewed calls to open up this special place. President Bush has even included revenues from Arctic Refuge drilling in his latest budget.

The Arctic Refuge is not only home to caribou, snow fox and millions of migratory birds, it is also one of the most important onshore denning habitats for America's remaining polar bears.

These magnificent animals are struggling for survival with scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey warning that America's polar bears could be extinct by 2050. The Fish & Wildlife Service just listed the polar bear as "threatened" on the Endangered Species List - yet this listing included qualifications to allow drilling in polar bear habitat.

Drilling and the transportation and infrastructure needed to support it could wreak havoc on polar bears and the habitat they need to survive. There are around 400 crude oil and toxic spills every year at the Prudhoe oil field, just 30 miles west of the Arctic Refuge. If drilling -- and the development that comes with it -- is permitted in this important habitat, polar bears may abandon their dens, leaving cubs to die.

I strongly urge you to support S.2316. Only a "wilderness" designation will stop the relentless efforts to drill in this special place and focus on real energy solutions like energy efficiency and the development of clean, renewable alternatives to fossil fuels.