The Trump administration is trying to push through a dangerous drilling project in the Arctic Ocean. We need to stop it.
Icy, stormy waters make Arctic drilling inherently hazardous and spills impossible to clean up. And Hilcorp, the company launching this project, has a history of spills and safety violations. If this so-called "Liberty" project goes forward, oil spills could easily occur in the heart of polar bear and bowhead whale habitat.
Sign your name to send a message today to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that this reckless project threatens the Arctic's amazing wildlife and will deepen the climate crisis.
The Liberty project would be the first oil development in federal Arctic waters, involving building an artificial island from which to drill down into the oilfield. If a blowout occurs, the "worst case discharge" scenario envisions a spill of 193 million gallons of oil over 90 days. This would do irreparable harm to the Far North's bears and whales.
What's worse, Hilcorp has a history of frequently sidestepping environmental and safety rules. Just last year it struggled for months to plug a natural gas leak from one of its underwater pipelines in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Please — urge the Trump administration to reverse its proposal and reject Hilcorp's plan. Send a letter today.
I am writing to urge you to reject Hilcorp's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean. The proposed project site is in important polar bear habitat on top of the biologically sensitive Boulder Patch, and it would sit in the migratory path of bowhead whales. The project threatens to damage fragile Arctic ecosystems, and an oil spill would be impossible to clean up.
[Your comment will be added here]
The draft environmental impact statement fails to disclose the full dangers of the project. The agency concedes that oil spills will happen, with an estimated worst-case scenario of up to 193 million gallons spilled during a blowout. But the review fails to provide a comprehensive analysis of the long-term environmental damage, loss of wildlife, and loss of subsistence values that such oil spills would bring. A comprehensive analysis would show that there's no safe way to drill for oil in the frozen, icy waters of the Arctic.
What's more, the climate impacts of the project would be devastating. Scientists have warned that all fossil fuels in the Arctic must remain untapped for us to meet international climate goals. Polar bears and other Arctic wildlife are among the animals most vulnerable to climate change, and this project damages Arctic habitat while contributing to its melting. The draft environmental review estimates that the project will contribute 64.5 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gas pollution, but it vastly understates the true impact of those emissions.
For all these reasons, I urge you to do the right thing and cancel plans for Hilcorp's Liberty project.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
