As Alaska Natives and organizations who fight for Alaska’s natural
heritage, we deeply appreciate your decision to suspend exploratory
oil drilling this summer in the dangerous and environmentally sensitive
waters of the Arctic Ocean. As the disastrous spill in the Gulf of Mexico
has illustrated, terrible things can happen when the race for more oil
runs ahead of technological capacity, careful planning and available
spill-response infrastructure. And it’s clear that oil cleanup would be
extremely difficult in the remote and frigid Arctic.
Your May 27 decision is a vital reprieve for Alaska Natives and for the
bowhead whales, walrus, seals, polar bears and millions of migratory
birds that depend on this fragile marine environment. Suspending
drilling until we have more information about the Gulf spill and a better
understanding of the technology and science is the responsible choice.
Please keep these waters safe for marine life
and the Alaska Natives who depend on it.
Alaska’s Big Village Network
Alaska Inter-Tribal Council
Alaska Wilderness League
Defenders of Wildlife
Earthjustice
Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
Native Village of Barrow
Native Village of Diomede
Native Village of Point Hope
Native Village of Point Lay
Native Village of Shishmaref
Northern Alaska Environmental Center
Oceana
Ocean Conservancy
Pacific Environment
Pew Environment Group
Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands (REDOIL)
Sierra Club
The Wilderness Society
World Wildlife Fund
