Save the Arctic from Shell's Oil Drilling Assault
Right now Shell is moving an armada of drilling rigs and support ships toward the wildlife-filled waters of the Arctic's Chukchi Sea.
It's mind-boggling that the Interior Department has given Shell Oil a green light on its exploration plan for drilling this summer in the Arctic Ocean -- our last untouched and unspoiled northern frontier. Especially since Shell's last attempt to drill in these fragile waters produced an alarming series of accidents, failures and harrowing close calls.
We've already seen the consequences of risky oil drilling with the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and, more recently, the tragic oil spill in Santa Barbara in May.
If Big Oil was caught flat-footed in the balmy Gulf of Mexico and coastal California, how can we trust them to operate safely amidst the punishing conditions of the Arctic?
We can't -- not when the Interior Department itself has already concluded there is a 75% chance of a major oil spill from oil production in the Chukchi... and no proven method for cleanup.
It's up to people like you and me to make sure that we never have to face an Arctic oil catastrophe. Send an urgent message today to President Obama calling for him to save the Arctic from Big Oil's reckless assault.
President Obama:
I am outraged that your Interior Department has approved Shell's reckless plans for drilling in the pristine Arctic Ocean. With a 75% chance of a major oil spill -- and no proven method for cleanup in ice-filled waters -- letting Big Oil into the Arctic risks an ecological disaster that could take a staggering toll on polar bears, walruses, whales and other wildlife.
But they will not be the only victims. The latest science warns us that Arctic oil must remain safely in the ground if we want to avoid the worst effects of climate change disruption. Surely you know that we can't go on burning vast pools of fossil fuels without inflicting a terrible price on our children and grandchildren. You have laid out a bold agenda for tackling climate change -- but Shell is about to drill a giant hole in that plan. Don't let them! Please act now to safeguard our natural heritage and your own climate legacy. Stop Shell's invasion of the Arctic, put it off-limits to drilling and lead us toward a future powered by 100% clean energy.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
