Defenders of Wildlife Blog

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy of USFWS

BREAKING: The House of Representatives today voted to open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and along almost every acre of our coastline including off the East Coast, West Coast, the protected eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Bristol Bay to oil drilling all under the guise of funding this year’s transportation bill.

The funding issue is a scam. Even the most generous revenue estimates from this reckless expansion of drilling will not be enough to fund proposed transportation projects in the bill. In addition, what small amounts of revenue might be generated from oil and gas leasing in the Arctic refuge would not be seen for ten years as oil companies will still need to explore, apply for drilling permits and start development. In short, H.R. 3408 is a fiscal gimmick that relies on unknown future revenues that are speculative at best to pay for transportation projects today.

Upon passage of the bill, Defenders’ president and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark, said, “Today, the House approved the most radical drilling-bill we have seen in recent memory. This fiscal boondoggle would industrialize the pristine coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to iconic wildlife like polar bears and the Porcupine Caribou herd, exposing thousands of miles of coastline to chronic pollution from offshore drilling and potential oil disasters like the Deepwater Horizon.

The Arctic refuge is the largest onshore denning area for America's polar bears.

The vote comes only one day after an exploratory well exploded on Alaska’s North Slope, spewing drilling mud, leaking natural gas and requiring the intervention of a company specializing in blowout control.

“Yesterday’s exploratory well explosion on Alaska’s North Slope demonstrates once again that drilling is a dangerous business. We can’t afford to take those risks with some of our most pristine and fragile places, some of which may never recover should a drilling accident occur. The Senate should reject this funding scam and look for realistic ways to meet our transportation needs without sacrificing the health of our environment.”

Stay tuned: See how you can help stop this dangerous drilling bill from becoming a law.

As denning polar bear mothers care for their newborn cubs, the U.S. House could pass a devastating plan to industrialize the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—the most important onshore denning grounds for these threatened animals that are struggling to survive.

This will be the most important vote on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in five years—and it will likely happen this week.

Take action now: Urge your U.S. Representative to stand up for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and oppose the terrible Transportation Bill.

Scientists say that America’s polar bears could disappear in just a few short decades. But that’s not stopping Big Oil’s allies in Congress from handing over important polar bear homes for dirty drilling. And it’s not just the Arctic Refuge that’s at stake. This bill would also open up the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

It’s a sweetheart deal for Big Oil—and a sellout of one of our most pristine natural areas that provides too little, too late for funding today’s transportation needs.

Stand up for polar bears and other wildlife—urge your U.S. Representative to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other coastal waters from Big Oil.

It’s not just our polar bears that need your voice. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of America’s most unique natural treasures, supporting a vast array of wildlife including arctic foxes, grizzly bears, muskoxen, Dall sheep, wolves and wolverines. And the coastal areas that this bill would open up to Big Oil are home to sea turtles, dolphins, and other wildlife.

Together, we can protect the Arctic Refuge—and the special wildlife that depend on it to survive.

Please take action today to urge your U.S. Representative to oppose this environmentally destructive and fiscally irresponsible bill that gives the heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and our coastal waters away to Big Oil.

Help protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy of USFWS

BREAKING: Republican leaders of the House Natural Resources Committee today did the bidding of Big Oil once again and voted to open up the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the protected eastern Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Bristol Bay to oil drilling all under the pretext of funding this year’s transportation bill.

Conservative politicians have always wanted to open the Arctic refuge to drilling for the Big Oil companies. The transportation bill and the professed need for revenue is just the latest excuse to push something they have wanted for a long time.

The funding issue is a scam. Even the most generous revenue estimates from this reckless expansion of drilling will not be enough to fund proposed transportation projects in the bill. In addition, what small amounts of revenue might be generated would not be seen for ten years as oil companies will still need to explore, apply for drilling permits and start development. That’s too late to pay for transportation projects starting next year.

This giveaway to Big Oil will expose millions of acres of America’s pristine land and water to dirty and dangerous oil and gas development from which they may never recover.

Jamie Clark in 2010 witnessing the devastation of BP oil disaster firsthand.

Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, said:

“Just in time for Valentine’s Day, House leaders in Congress have come out with a sweetheart deal for their Big Oil allies. Opening the Arctic refuge to drilling has been a long-standing priority of the backwards-looking, drill first crowd and the transportation bill is just the latest excuse to do so. The proposed revenue from this deal won’t even materialize for years, making this one of the most disingenuous refuge-drilling schemes we’ve ever seen, to say nothing of the environmental destruction it would cause.

“Instead of sacrificing some of America’s most pristine wilderness and waters for the profit of Big Oil, Congress should focus on coming up with real solutions to fund the transportation projects that will decrease our addiction to oil and keep our country moving.”

Learn more:

Take Action!  Ask your representative to oppose this bill and protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the wildlife that call it home.

Read more about how Defenders is working to protect America’s Arctic from the dangers of dirty oil and gas drilling.

When the Obama administration asked the public what they thought about protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the response was loud and clear — over 860,000 comments came in asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service to recommend that Congress designate the refuge’s coastal plain a wilderness area, bringing us one step closer to keeping dangerous oil and gas drilling out of the area for good. Defenders joined groups today to hand-deliver the comments to the Department of the Interior, letting the administration know just how important it is to keep the refuge wild for future generations.

We couldn’t have done it without you! Together with our partners at the Animal Rescue Site, Care2 and Change.org, Defenders supporters generated 315,000 of these actions. They may not know it, but the animals of the refuge are lucky to have you on their side.

Over 860,000 comments came in asking the US Fish and Wildlife Service to recommend that Congress designate the refuge’s coastal plain a wilderness area, bringing us one step closer to keeping dangerous oil and gas drilling out of the area for good.

Despite this overwhelming show of support, the Arctic refuge is far from safe. This Friday, two Congressional hearings will take place to discuss the future of drilling in the refuge. The first of the two will consider a bill by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) that would allow for oil and gas development on the refuge’s coastal plain, a 1.5 million-acre stretch on the refuge’s northern edge.

Photo courtesy of USFWS

Such a move would mean big trouble for the iconic wildlife who call the refuge’s coastal plain home. The most important onshore denning habitat for America’s vanishing polar bears, the coastal plain is also the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou herd on which the native Gwich’in people have depended for thousands of years. Industrial-scale oil and gas development would destroy the pristine nature of the Arctic refuge’s coastal plain forever. For the wildlife already impacted by the damaging effects of climate change, preventing these operations is critical.

Learn more:

Defenders is working to make sure the Obama administration’s long-term management plan keeps the refuge and its wildlife healthy and protected for years to come. Stay tuned for more as the fight to keep the refuge safe continues.

Oil and gas development isn’t the only threat facing the animals of the Arctic refuge. Read Defenders’ report, Climate Change and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Which Species Are At Risk? and see which mammals in the refuge are the most vulnerable to climate change, and what we can do to protect them.

The Arctic's Chukchi Sea. Photo courtesy USFWS

WASHINGTON (November 8, 2011) – The Obama administration today announced its Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2012-2017. The plan schedules 15 potential lease sales for the five year period – 12 in the Gulf of Mexico and three off the coast of Alaska.

The following is a statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO for Defenders of Wildlife:

“The Obama administration made the wise decision to protect vast tracts of the country’s oceans from oil and gas exploration. However, the inclusion of the Arctic Ocean in the country’s five-year drilling plan is indefensible. From the extreme and unpredictable conditions of the region to the lack of a realistic spill response, the risks of a drilling disaster in the Arctic remain too high to authorize exploratory drilling. While the announcement proposes to address these threats by deferring drilling for a handful of years, the only way to protect this fragile marine environment from the threats posed by dangerous oil and gas exploration is to take it off the table altogether.

Drilling in the Arctic Ocean poses grave threats to America's vanishing polar bears. Photo courtesy USFWS

“Instead of enabling our country’s addiction to oil for five more years, the administration should strengthen its efforts to wean America off dirty fossil fuels, accelerating the transition to a clean energy future.”

Learn more:

See how offshore drilling threatens the Arctic’s fragile marine environment.

Shell may begin drilling in the Arctic’s Beaufort Sea as early as next summer. Read about the oil giant’s inadequate oil spill response plan and the threat it poses to bowhead whales and polar bears.

Visit explore.org to watch live streaming video of polar bears on their northward migration.

One of the largest carnivores in the world, the polar bear is not an animal you want to bump into. But now, thanks to Explore.org, you can watch these fascinating mammals from the safety of your own home. By tuning into one of many high-definition cameras set up in the remote wilds of the Arctic, you can track a Canadian population of polar bears as they make their way north to the Hudson Bay.

Historically, sea ice on the Hudson allows the bears to hunt seals as far as 100 miles off the coast. But climate change is having a dramatic impact on the Arctic landscape, diminishing this once-reliable habitat. This year, Arctic sea ice reached its second lowest level on record. Such trends are taking a serious toll on sea-ice dependent animals like polar bears, and in Alaska reports of drowned or starving bears, cannibalism and other aberrant behavior are increasing. Without help, these Arctic icons could disappear from U.S. shores forever.

Cameras like these offer the many who will never travel to the chilly north a rare glimpse into what life is like for these majestic animals, and hopefully inspire them to fight for polar bear survival. Charlie Annenberg, a filmmaker and founder of explore.org who spearheaded the project, said he hopes the cameras will “allow people to observe the natural world we live in with the hope that they’ll develop emotional connections with the planet.”

Photo courtesy USFWS

Don’t wait to check it out! The migration has already begun, and runs only through the end of November. Video capturing the movement is now being streamed live.

Disclaimer: you made find it difficult to tear yourself away. We at Defenders have already watched a three-bear-wrestling match, and can’t wait to see what these animals are up to next…

Learn more:

Last week saw a win for polar bears! Learn more.

Read Defenders report, Sea Bear Under Siege, to see our recommendations for helping polar bears survive in a world with less and less sea ice.