Not a Good Day for the Arctic
Sara Thomas
Every five years the president releases a plan outlining where oil and gas companies in the US can purchase leases to drill offshore.
This week, President Obama released a draft of his next five-year leasing plan—and here at WWF, we're not OK with it.
The draft plan proposes to open up vast stretches of the Arctic Ocean to dangerous new offshore oil and gas drilling—including areas of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off the coast of Alaska.
The US needs to accelerate our nation's transition to a renewable energy future rather than opening the Arctic to a new wave of risky offshore drilling activities.
| Take Action Now ► |
Why am I asking you to speak out?
A healthy Arctic Ocean is key to the survival of a wealth of wildlife—bowhead whales, gray whales, walruses, polar bears, and more—as well as many indigenous communities.
The proposed plan covers nearly 93,800 square miles of Arctic waters off the Alaskan coast. That's twice the size of New York state.
The vast size, remote location, and extreme weather conditions of this place, combined with the complete lack of infrastructure for responding to oil spills, make drilling in this area extremely dangerous for both marine life and people.
Ruling the Arctic off limits to drilling would show the world that the US is serious about meeting its commitments to the Paris climate agreement.
Take Action Now: Tell President Obama to remove America's Arctic from the next five-year lease plan.
Sincerely,
Sara Thomas
Manager, Online Advocacy
World Wildlife Fund