Drilled to Death?

Right now, the Obama administration is setting the stage for  America's next offshore oil disaster. Even as millions of gallons of  oil from BP's botched Deepwater Horizon drilling operation pollute  the Gulf of Mexico and threaten local communities and wildlife, the  administration has so far failed to act to protect Alaska's fragile  and remote Chukchi Sea from a similar catastrophe.  Because drilling in the Chukchi could devastate polar bears, Alaska  Native communities, and the entire Arctic ecosystem, CREDO  Action has joined with our friends at Defenders of Wildlife to stop  offshore drilling in this sensitive area.  Please read the message below and take action to save  wildlife and protect an irreplaceable way of life. Becky Bond, Political Director CREDO Action

This summer, a federal court in Alaska found that the Bush  administration violated the law when it approved oil and gas leasing  in Alaska's Chukchi sea without sufficient information and analysis  about risks to the Arctic environment.  A different court found similar  flaws with Arctic drilling plans in 2009.  Yet, President Obama's administration has so far failed to  revisit  protections for the Chukchi — Arctic waters off Alaska's coast that  are home to some of America's remaining polar bears and key to the  survival of Inupiat Eskimo communities. Please urge President Obama to take action now to save polar  bears, bowhead whales and other wildlife — and the Alaska  Native communities that rely on them to survive — by  preventing the next offshore drilling disaster.  The Obama administration has asked the court in Alaska to allow  activities that would pave the way for drilling to proceed, potentially  jeopardizing an area key to the survival of not only polar bears,  but also bowhead whales, Pacific walrus and other wildlife. The Gulf oil disaster clearly demonstrates the terrible risks of  offshore drilling: Sea birds coated in oil and unable to fly; Seas turtles poisoned by toxic waters; and Wildlife habitat fouled by oil. And it could be much worse  in the Chukchi. Thirty years after the Exxon  Valdez disaster, there is still  no effective, proven technology  to clean up oil spills in broken  sea ice conditions in Arctic  waters, such as those found  in the Chukchi Sea...  a problem that could doom rare Arctic whales,  threatened polar bears and other wildlife to extinction and destroy  Inupiat communities if drilling proceeds. Help stop the next offshore drilling disaster! Tell President  Obama to pull the illegal leases sold in the Chukchi Sea and  halt seismic testing in the Arctic this summer. The courts and scientists have all said that more information is  needed about the Arctic environment before we even consider  drilling in its ice covered seas that are cloaked in darkness most  of the year. The recent court decision provides the perfect opportunity for the  Obama administration to take that time and really make sure we  can protect the environment — before we jeopardize this fragile  place, its wildlife and the people who count on it for the survival  of their communities. To avoid another catastrophic offshore drilling disaster like  the one now threatening the communities and wildlife of  the Gulf of Mexico — and another Exxon Valdez-like oil spill  — we need a responsible approach to protecting the Chukchi.    The Valdez spill decimated fisheries and continues to impact local  wildlife and Alaskan communities to this day. And the Gulf oil  disaster has killed thousands of animals and will impact the  region's fragile ecosystems for years to come. Alaska native communities, polar bears and the rest of America  deserve better. Please send President Obama a message  right now.  With Gratitude, Rodger Schlickeisen President Defenders of Wildlife

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