BREAKING: Court Denies Offshore Oil Lease Sale in America's Arctic 22JAN14

THIS is a great victory for the people of Alaska, the entire U.S. and the wildlife in and around the Chukchi Sea and Alaskan Arctic region. Well done EarthJustice!!!!

Court Denies Offshore Oil Lease Sale in America’s Arctic Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea remanded by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals JANUARY 22, 2014 ANCHORAGE, AK — Today, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Department of the Interior violated the law when it sold offshore oil and gas leases in the Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska. The decision stems from a lawsuit filed by a coalition of Alaska Native and conservation groups represented by Earthjustice. “The Obama administration now has the chance to do right by the Arctic and the planet by keeping oil drilling out of the Chukchi Sea. It makes no sense to open up the fragile, irreplaceable, and already melting Arctic Ocean to risky drilling for dirty oil that will only exacerbate climate change already wreaking havoc on the Arctic and elsewhere,” said Erik Grafe, an attorney at Earthjustice, which represents the groups. In response to the decision, the organizations issued the following joint statement: “Today’s ruling is a victory for the Arctic Ocean. The government has no business offering oil companies leases in the Chukchi Sea. The area is home to iconic species such as polar bear, bowhead whales, and walrus and to a vibrant indigenous subsistence culture. Drilling for oil puts at risk the region’s wildlife and people, and it takes us off the path toward a clean energy future. “For the second time, a court has found that the government ignored basic legal protections for our ocean resources in deciding to open the Chukchi Sea to offshore oil leasing. The Obama administration must now take seriously its obligation to re-think whether to allow risky industrial activities in the Chukchi Sea. As Shell’s problems have clearly demonstrated, companies are not ready to drill in the Arctic Ocean.” Background: The Chukchi Sea is part of America’s Arctic Ocean north of Alaska. It is home to iconic species such as polar bears, walrus, beluga whales, bowhead whales, and seals. It is also home to vibrant Alaska Native communities that have depended for millennia on the ocean for their subsistence way of life. The region is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world, putting tremendous strain on its wildlife and people. There is currently no oil and gas development in the Chukchi Sea. The Chukchi Sea and its coast are remote—the coast contains only four small communities that are not connected to a road system, lack deep-water harbors, and can only be reached by plane or, in summer, by boat. The region is hundreds of miles from the nearest coast-guard station and lacks rescue and oil spill response capacity. The Chukchi Sea lease sale, Sale 193, was originally held in 2008 by the Bush administration. It offered nearly 30 million acres in the Chukchi Sea for oil drilling—an area larger than the size of Pennsylvania. Prior to the lease sale, there were no active oil leases in the sea. In 2010 The Federal District Court in Alaska determined that the original lease sale violated the National Environmental Protection Act, one of the foundations of U.S. environmental law, because the Department of Interior had failed to address the widely recognized gaps in what is known about nearly every species in the Chukchi Sea. It required the agency to reconsider the decision. In October 2011, the Obama administration also decided to reaffirm the lease sale, despite the acknowledged gaps in information. The District Court upheld the Obama administration’s affirmation of the lease sale. The appeal decided today followed. The Court today agreed with the groups that the Department of Interior failed adequately to analyze the potentially dramatic environmental effects of the sale before offering the leases. It determined that the agency had analyzed “only the best case scenario for environmental harm, assuming oil development,” and that this analysis “skews the data toward fewer environmental impacts, and thus impedes a full and fair discussion of the potential effects of the project.” The agency will have to revise or supplement its analysis for the lease sale once again and must reconsider its lease sale decision. Read the full press release at http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2014/court-denies-offshore-oil-lease-sale-in-america-s-arctic.

©2014 Earthjustice | 50 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94111 | 415-217-2000 | info@earthjustice.org

SEA SHEPHERD E MAIL NEWSLETTER 28SEP11

SEA SHEPHERD updates on the thugs of taiji, Japan, shark poaching in the Galapagos, the seal slaughter in Namibia and the upcoming illegal whaling season in the Southern Oceans.

Dear Friend of Sea Shepherd, Seals continue to need our help! One of Sea Shepherd's first major campaigns, back in 1979, was to defend the seals in Canada and thirty-two years later we are still defending seals - currently in Namibia. And we work hard to turn your support into real results! In addition to our recent progress in Namibia, we have now begun our second year with the Cove Guardians in Taiji, Japan (The Cove), with a the goal of saving even more dolphins than we did last season. We are also making preparations to return to the Southern Ocean to be ready if the whalers decide to return. If they do not, we will focus on defending sharks in the South Pacific, but if the harpoon boats do return we will be there to meet and stop them. All of this is made possible by your support. Thank-you for all you do. Sea Shepherd Meets the Voice of Namibia   Our crew returned to Windhoek, Namibia last week to meet with the country's ombudsman and demand an immediate end to the illegal slaughter of seals. After a closed-door meeting with Sea Shepherd, peer NGOs, advocates for the seal hunt, and Namibia's ombudsman, potential progress was made for the seals. (more) An End to the Namibian Seal Slaughter? A lot has happened since July, when we sent a covert team into Namibia. With celebrities publicly speaking out against the cruel seal slaughter and many many more NGOs focusing on the issue - the media and international pressure on Namibia is truly growing. Learn more about the seal slaughter, including information on economics, science, and the options available to Namibia. Operation Infinite Patience - Cove Guardians Cove Guardian campaign leader Rosie Kunneke arrived in Taiji, Japan almost two weeks ago and is standing guard for the dolphins! Rosie is tweeting breaking news and updates as they happen. Be sure to follow @seashepherd on Twitter and search for the hashtag #Tweet4Taiji. Get more info on the Cove Guardians and check out Rosie's weekly reports in Taiji. Shark Fishing Vessel Caught in Galapagos Galapagos hadn't fully recovered from one of the largest shark poaching cases, which happened this past July, when yet another offending vessel was caught inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve just last week. (more) Relax in Style The Chaser LA Sea Shepherd Fleece Raglan is our favorite laid-back sweatshirt. Featuring long sleeves and a relaxed crew next that can be worn off the shoulder, each garment is as unique as the next, and they are individually handled for the burnout process. Remember, purchases made in any of our global e-Stores help fund our marine conservation campaigns. Shop to support today! We have achieved success in the face of impossible odds, year after year, because we have your support to keep us focused, effective, and dynamic. You help us to look at what seems impossible, and you help us to achieve triumph against all obstacles to make the impossible - possible! We are you, and you are us, and together we are the Shepherds of the Sea. Please be as generous as you can today and give a much-needed, appreciated, and valued contribution. And then watch us translate it into effective action! For the oceans, Captain Paul Watson Founder and President Sea Shop Support the oceans in style with this eco-silver Whale Tail Pendant, designed exclusively for Sea Shepherd Commentary Galapagos Celebrates Their 33rd Anniversary on the World Natural Heritage List Be a Whale Warrior  Raise money, save lives, be a Whale Warrior Just two weeks left to raise funds for this great cause and win prizes! Create your own Sea Shepherd webpage with personalized address and share it with your friends and family. Win cool Sea Shepherd prizes, too! Give Events Come out and show your support locally! We have upcoming events in the following areas: Australia • Oct 1 - Melbourne • Oct 2 - Melbourne • Oct 2 - Fitzroy • Oct 7-9 - Brisbane • Oct 15 - Werribee Belgium & Netherlands • Oct 2 - Sint-Jans-Molenbeek • Oct 10 - Opwijk France • Oct 1 - Avignon • Oct 1 - Paris • Oct 1-2 - Villeneuve/Lot • Oct 1-3 - Seignosse • Oct 8-9 - Reze • Oct 14-17 - Paris • Oct 16 - Tournefeuille Germany • Sept 30-Oct 2 - Mannheim • Oct 1 - Hamburg • Oct 2 - Olching Italy • Jul 29-31 - Santa Marinella North America • Sept 30-Oct 3 - Dallas, TX • Oct 1 - St. Louis, MO • Oct 24 - Denver, CO United Kingdom • Oct 22 - Birmingham • Oct 30 - West Midlands Defend the Oceans ...Automatically Are you a member? Join the Direct Action Crew for monthly giving! Follow Us | Privacy Policy Sea Shepherd Conservation Society P.O. Box 2616, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 (USA) Tel: 360-370-5650 Fax: 360-370-5651   Share on Facebook

TAKE ACTION! No New Leases In The Arctic Ocean from EARTHJUSTICE 24MAR11

PLEASE participate in this campaign to prevent oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, the government is accepting comments until 30MAR11. Click the link to go to the page to submit your comments......

TAKE ACTION! No New Leases In The Arctic Ocean
	Sec. Salazar is looking to the public for input on where and when to drill for oil in our oceans for the next 5 years. Please tell the Interior Department: The Arctic Ocean should not be considered for drilling!
As the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster approaches, the Department of the Interior is in the midst of planning where and when to drill for oil in our oceans for the next five years. Millions of acres of our outer continental shelf are already leased to oil companies, and now the administration is deciding what additional areas to open up for drilling. One of the places in which Interior is considering unleashing drilling is the Arctic Ocean, a remote, fragile region—home to polar bears, whales, walrus, seals among many others—that we know very little about and that is already under tremendous stress due to climate change. Right now, Secretary Salazar is looking to the public for input on these decisions. Please take action now and make sure your voice is heard! Tell the Interior Department that the Arctic Ocean should not be considered for drilling when there are such large information gaps in science and oil spill response. It should not be included in Interior's leasing plan. Last year, the Gulf spill tragically demonstrated that offshore drilling is a risky business, and it is essential that this risk be considered when deciding whether to open new areas to leasing. Drilling in the ocean puts entire ecosystems at risk, particularly in places like the Arctic, where icy, stormy and remote conditions would make it would be impossible to clean up a large oil spill were one to occur. The Arctic Ocean is also one of the least understood places on earth. Without basic science about the region, it is not possible to assess, or manage, the effects of industrial activity there. Add to this that the region is undergoing rapid climate change, and it is clear that there should be no new drilling here. Please tell Secretary Salazar to heed the warnings of the President's Oil Spill Commission and be cautious in the Arctic. Until we have a better understanding of the region and can fully clean up a large oil spill there if it occurs, Secretary Salazar should not offer additional oil and gas leases in the Arctic. Instead, the Secretary should use the next five years to undertake a comprehensive scientific study of the area to understand the basic ecology of the Arctic Ocean, how it is shifting due to climate change, and what effects oil and gas drilling would have on the region's wildlife and people. How to Take Action Please submit your individual public comment through the Interior Department's official public comment form. Click on the button below to access the official public comment form. Or, copy and paste this link into your browser: http://ocs5yeareis.anl.gov/involve/comments Choose your privacy preference, and enter your information. (Only your first and last name are required.) Enter your comment. If you would like to use our sample comment, please consider prefacing the comment with a personalized note, expressing why this issue is important to you: RE: Hold No New Lease Sales in the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea I am encouraged by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE)'s decision to take a deliberate and fully informed approach to the scoping process for the 2012-2017 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. As a part of this informed approach, it must be understood that oil and gas activities on the Arctic OCS present unique and unknown risks. The lack of scientific information, the lack of effective spill prevention and response capability for the Arctic Ocean, and the potentially significant impacts of oil and gas activity on wildlife and subsistence practices make additional leasing inappropriate at this time. First, we lack baseline science necessary to make informed Arctic Ocean leasing decisions. In particular, more scientific analysis is needed to understand how species utilize Arctic habitat and function in the larger Arctic ecosystem, and how industrial development will affect those species and the ecosystem, especially in the face of climate change. The President's National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling said scientific data gaps should be filled before making decisions about where and when to drill in frontier areas like the Arctic Ocean. Secretary Salazar has himself directed United States Geological Society to conduct a gap analysis. These are encouraging steps, but a meaningful scientific analysis will require time. The Secretary should use the next five years to obtain missing science needed to effectively manage the Arctic Ocean. He should not offer further oil and gas leases in the region during this time. Second, spill response capacity is inadequate in the Arctic. The President's Commission's report confirmed that both the government and industry failed to fully understand or prepare for a large spill. If a similar spill were to occur in the Arctic Ocean it would be catastrophic. Also specific to the Arctic, the Commission wrote that Interior must ensure that companies do in fact have the response capabilities they state, and recommended increasing the Coast Guard's capacity in the Arctic. In addition, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen has clearly stated that cleaning up a spill Arctic would be a major challenge. Experts all agree: we do not have the ability to clean up an oil spill in the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. To avoid irreversible impacts to marine life and the surrounding ecosystem of the Arctic, I urge you to exclude the Beaufort Sea and the Chukchi Sea planning areas, including Hope Basin, from the 2012-17 leasing schedule. Thank you for considering my comment. Click on the "Submit Comment" button at the bottom of the form, and your comment will be delivered. Thank you for taking the time to make sure that your voice is heard! Drop us a note at action@earthjustice.org to let us know that you took action! To get started, click on the button below: — Earthjustice Because the earth needs a good lawyer

©2011 Earthjustice | 426 17th Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 | 510-550-6700 | action@earthjustice.org

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

©2010 Earthjustice | 426 17th Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 | 510-550-6700 | action@earthjustice.org

Alert Tools

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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