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.Alaska's Coastal Plain Threatened
by BIG OIL once again...
NM-US Issues
.Alaska's Coastal Plain Threatened
by BIG OIL once again...
From Michael Smith, 28th March, 2000...
The crown jewel of our National Wildlife System is under attack! Under the guise of combating high gas prices some politicians are pressing for passage of a 2001 budget bill that would include a resolution by Senate Budget Committee Chair Pete Domenici (R-NM) to include a large amount of Arctic Coastal plain oil revenues in the budget. This would give the green light to Congress to pass legislation authored by Alaska Senator Frank Murkowski to proceed with drilling in the coastal plain. Often called "America's Serengeti" because of its abundant caribou, polar bear, grizzly, wolf and other wildlife populations, the remote and pristine coastal plain represents the last five-percent of Alaska's Arctic Slope not already open to development.
The same politicians who now advocate plundering this natural treasure have repeatedly blocked sound conservation measures like raising fuel economy standards for our nation's automobiles and increasing the use of alternative fuels. Their real goal is to use political scare tactics to turn more of our public lands over to multinational developers.
Call your Senators today (Capitol Switchboard: 202/224-3121) and let them know you oppose plundering our nation's last vestige of protected Arctic wilderness for a questionable, short-term supply of oil. Please urge them to oppose language by Senator Domenici to include Arctic oil revenues in the budget bill; ask them instead to support an amendment to the budget bill that would strike Arctic Refuge drilling revenues from the federal budget bill. In addition, urge them to cosponsor legislation by Senator William Roth (S.867) that will designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain as wilderness and thus forever safeguard the spectacular area and the wildlife that depend on it.
We expect a vote in the Senate Budget Committee this Wednesday (3/29) and a full Senate vote as early as next week so please make your call today! And please distribute this alert far and wide so that all Senators can receive calls. Thank you for your help!
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Thank you for helping the magnificent wild lands of Alaska, a vital and irreplaceable part of America's natural national heritage.
For more details on the Senate action expected, call Adam Kolton, Arctic Campaign Director, or Jen Schmidt at Alaska Wilderness League, at 202-544-5205, adamk@alaskawild.org or call Melinda Pierce, Sierra Club Public Lands Team 202-675-7912; melinda.pierce@sierraclub.org
March 28, 2000
Subject: Oil Revenues, the Federal Budget and the Arctic Coastal Plain
Dear Senator Domenici:
It has come to my attention that you recently sponsored a resolution to include a large amount of Arctic Coastal plain oil revenues in the federal budget. I would like to comment on the resolution and related topics. Thank you for the opportunity to do so.
I suspect that such a resolution will result in efforts to drill on the plain for oil. I do not support these efforts and, hence, I do not support your resolution for the following reasons:
1. Increasing the oil supply is only a temporary solution to high oil prices. It does nothing to solve the bigger problem, that of America's high energy consumption. Failure to address the consumption problem will ultimately result in higher energy prices irrespective of how much oil is pumped from the Arctic or anywhere else;
2. Often called "America's Serengeti" because of its abundant caribou, polar bear, grizzly, wolf and other wildlife populations, the remote and pristine coastal plain represents the last five-percent of Alaska's Arctic Slope not already open to development. It is critical that this remaining undeveloped land be reserved for wildlife.
As a solution to the energy problem I urge you to support efforts towards reducing urban sprawl, and towards increasing research, development and the use of renewable energies. These efforts will also help alleviate global climate change, which you know, is well documented in the scientific literature as being mostly human-caused.
I also urge you to cosponsor legislation by Senator William Roth (S.867) that will designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain as wilderness and thus forever safeguard it and the wildlife that depend on it.
Thank you.
Sincerely,