The Arctic is not for sale
NellGreenberg - Avaaz
Dear friends across the US,
The government is poised to let Shell drill in the Arctic even though there's a 75% chance of a massive oil spill. Flooding a public comment period is our chance to stop this. Click below to send an urgent message to the government that the Arctic is not for sale:
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The Obama Administration is deciding whether to lease parts of the Arctic Ocean to Shell Oil. Giving Big Oil access to our natural treasures for extreme oil exploration at a time when we’re seeing more climate-related floods, droughts, heat waves and rising sea levels is reckless and frankly downright backward. But luckily, we can do something to stop it.
Legal and citizen pressure has forced the government to accept public comments on Arctic drilling. This gives us a huge opportunity. As we have seen with comment periods on projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, it makes all the difference when citizens speak up loudly.
We know Big Oil is making their voices heard and they can’t be the only ones at the table. We need to ensure those standing for a clean energy future are far louder right now. Click below to send a message to the government that the Arctic is not sale as Big Oil's playground!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/arctic_not_for_sale_sam_a/?bYCKhab&v=49645
In 2012, the nation was transfixed as Shell crashed its Arctic drilling rig into Sitkalidak Island, Alaska proving that no oil company, especially Shell, should be drilling in Arctic conditions. In fact, the Department of the Interior, which will make the decision on Shell’s Arctic Ocean lease, acknowledged that there is a 75 percent chance that one or more large oil spills would occur if these leases are developed. The technology does not exist to clean up spills in Arctic conditions -- threatening this wild landscape and the countless animals like polar bears and walruses that call it home.
A world without oil and coal and other extreme energy extraction is becoming more possible than ever. Cities like San Francisco and Copenhagen have already committed to phasing out fossil fuels entirely and record numbers of new wind and solar installations are coming online every day. And we are winning in preventing extreme extraction projects like the Keystone XL from being built. The truth is, we don’t need to risk any more for Big Oil -- we don’t need this extreme oil exploration, their pocketbooks do.
Because of our progress, the oil industry is desperate to secure projects like those in the Arctic. And sadly their money still buys them a ton of influence in our government. That’s why we need to be everywhere Big Oil is right now. Click below to send a comment right now and help be part of the public counterweight to Big Oil:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/arctic_not_for_sale_sam_a/?bYCKhab&v=49645
This is not just about Shell or Big Oil. It’s not even just about protecting the Arctic. This is part of a fundamental crossroads in our future. We are building a clean energy world every day and we’re blocking Big Oil at every turn. Right now, adding our voices to this public comment period is part of that important work. And it’s part of believing in a future where we don’t sacrifice the very things that make our lives worth living for a fuel source we increasingly do not need.
With hope,
Nell, Meredith, David, Rosa, Alice, Ricken, Fatima, and the Avaaz team
More information:
Feds finish draft of Arctic drilling document (Juneau Empire)
http://juneauempire.com/state/2014-11-10/feds-finish-draft-arctic-drilling-document
BOEM updates Chukchi lease sale; 2015 drilling uncertain (Alaska Journal of Commerce)
Shell seeks 5 more years for Arctic drilling (The Triple Pundit)
http://www.triplepundit.com/2014/11/shell-seeks-5-years-arctic-drilling/
Shell sketches plans for Arctic drilling in 2015 (Alaska Public Media)
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2014/08/29/shell-oil-files-exploration-plan-for-chukchi-sea/
Frozen Future: Shell's ongoing gamble in the US Arctic (Report, Oil Change International)
http://priceofoil.org/content/uploads/2014/02/Frozen-Future.pdf