TAKE ACTION: Prevent an Arctic Oil Spill from EARTHJUSTICE 10NOV10

THE bush administration was all about giving corporate America whatever they wanted, resulting in many court cases brought by environmental groups. The Obama administration, at times, is not much better...and so we are forced to fight the bush administration approval of oil and gas drilling leases in the Chukchi Sea, off the Alaskan coast. Please participate in this action from EarthJustice calling for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) to redo their analysis of the environmental impact of drilling in the Arctic.

TAKE ACTION! Arctic Drilling: Look Before You Leap!
	A large oil spill in the remote, icy waters of the Arctic Ocean's Chukchi Sea could spell disaster for endangered species: Rushing to drill is simply unacceptable!
Dear Craig, Just five months ago, an oil spill erupted in the Gulf of Mexico, dumping millions of gallons of oil into ocean waters. Government officials are still piecing the puzzle together to determine the systemic failures that led to the spill and to ensure a spill like the Deepwater Horizon never happens again. But even though those studies have not been completed, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), is moving forward with oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean as if the spill had never occurred. This summer, a Federal court directed BOEMRE to redo its analysis of the environmental impacts of a massive Bush-era oil and gas lease sale in the Chukchi Sea off the northwest coast of Alaska. But just two months later, BOEMRE has now issued a draft document that leaves unanswered hundreds of questions about the impacts of drilling in the Arctic Ocean and the potential threat of a spill in those waters. We do know that a large oil spill in the remote, icy waters of the Arctic Ocean's Chukchi Sea could spell disaster for endangered whales, threatened polar bears, walrus, seals, sea birds, migratory birds, fish and other species that live in these waters. But, as BOEMRE admits, we know so little about some species in the area that we wouldn't even know what was lost in the event of a spill. The agency must curtail its rush to drill in these waters. Much more science needs to be reviewed before any decision on leasing and drilling in the Arctic Ocean is made. If we have learned anything from the Gulf spill, it is that we should study the potential impacts before we proceed with drilling. Tell BOEMRE that rushing to drill in the Arctic Ocean without reviewing all the available science and impacts on species is simply unacceptable. Federal regulators need to look at the science before they make the leap to drill. — Earthjustice Because the earth needs a good lawyer

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Photo Credit: Top: One of the most recognizable faces of climate change, polar bears must swim longer distances to reach solid sea ice as warmer temperatures create larger stretches of open water. If current warming trends continue, scientists estimate that polar bears may become extinct from most of their range in less than 100 years. Beaufort Sea, Alaska. © Florian Schulz / visionsofthewild.com. Bottom: Things are changing rapidly in the Arctic. Oil companies are planning offshore oil development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, two key marine habitats in the Arctic.These oil platforms are what we could expect to see in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas if oil development projects proceed. Cook Inlet, Alaska. © Florian Schulz / visionsofthewild.com.

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