WASHINGTON -- February 23 -- The pristine natural beauty and unique wildlife of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are facing a renewed attack from oil industry allies in Congress. But this time, it's a sneak attack. Despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans oppose drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge, some members of the House and Senate are quietly pulling out all the stops to try to pass a highly controversial drilling proposal. They would do so by attaching the drilling measure to the upcoming budget resolution, a backdoor maneuver designed to bypass both popular sentiment and a lack of support for the measure in Congress.

Conservation-minded Americans have repeatedly and soundly defeated past efforts to open the Arctic Refuge up to oil drilling. In the past, proponents of Arctic oil drilling have fallen far short of the 60 votes necessary to pass such a highly controversial proposal in the U.S. Senate. Yet rumors about the upcoming stealth budget maneuver make it increasingly clear that the oil industry and its allies will stop at nothing to get their way.

"Not only does this type of backdoor maneuver endanger the Arctic Refuge, its wilderness and wildlife, it also poses a genuine threat to the integrity of our democratic process,” said Bill Meadows, President of the Wilderness Society. “"I urge Americans to visit http://www.wilderness.org/arctic today to contact their members of Congress to let them know that the sanctity of the Arctic Refuge is non-negotiable.”

A bipartisan national survey has found that by a margin of 53 percent to 35 percent, Americans oppose proposals to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In a finding that is particularly relevant in the current debate over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an overwhelming majority – 73 percent v. 18 percent – agreed with a statement that the issue of drilling in the Arctic Refuge is “too important to the American public and future generations to be snuck through” in the budget process, and disagreed with drilling proponents’ argument in favor of allowing drilling as part of the budget.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to over 250 unique animal species, including polar bears, grizzlies, musk oxen, wolves, and millions of migratory birds. The US Fish and Wildlife Service called the refuge’s 1.5 million-acre Coastal Plain – where oil drilling is proposed – the “biological heart” of the refuge. To the Gwich’in Indians of Alaska, who rely heavily on the refuge’s caribou herd for their food and culture, the refuge is known as the “sacred place where life began.”

“There are some places that are just too important and too wild to sacrifice to oil drilling," said Jim Waltman, Wildlife Refuge Program Director for The Wilderness Society. "There are safer and smarter ways to address this problem, starting with making our vehicles more efficient and investing in renewable sources like wind and solar."

The Wilderness Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving American wilderness. Our mission is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water, beauty, wildlife, and opportunity for recreation and renewal provided by pristine forests, rivers, deserts, and mountains.

To receive Wilderness Society news releases and tip sheets online, please send an e-mail message to: newsroom@tws.org. Type “Get News Online” in the subject line and include your name and news affiliation. Also, you can subscribe online at www.wilderness.org.

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