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| SEPTEMBER
15, 1998 12:40 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: US Public Interest Research Group Athan Manuel or Liz Hitchcock 202/546-9707 |
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| Coalition Urges Big Oil to Cancel Drilling Plans for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge | ||||
| WASHINGTON
- September 15 - A coalition of environmental and conservation groups has called on
British Petroleum, ARCO, Exxon and Chevron to cancel their drilling plans for the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. In four letters mailed last week, the sixteen groups cited
the pristine and unique environment of the Refuge, and challenged the companies to act as
responsible corporate citizens. “Oil companies need to be held accountable for their drilling plans,” said Athan Manuel, director of PIRG’s Arctic Wilderness Campaign and the author of the letter. “The world has plenty of oil rigs but there is only one Arctic Refuge. Big Oil needs to recognize that it should be preserved, not plundered.” The letter demonstrates that support for protecting the Arctic Refuge continues to grow. Even House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has been aggressively lobbied by British Petroleum and ARCO, has recently cautioned against drilling in the Refuge. At a meeting with reporters two weeks ago in Fairbanks, Alaska, following a visit to the Arctic Refuge Gingrich stated that “The bias ought to be in favor of preserving that remarkable asset.” The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been called America’s Serengeti. Caribou, muskoxen, wolves, polar, brown and black bears, and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds rely on the pristine habitat that the Refuge provides. The Gwich’in people, which means “people of the caribou,” have lived in and around the Refuge for thousands of years. In addition to urging voluntary cancellation of drilling plans, the coalition called on each company to endorse the Arctic Refuge Wilderness bill (H.R. 900/S. 531). The bill would designate the 1.5 million acres of the coastal plain as wilderness, permanently protecting the area from development. The Wilderness bill has a record number of co-sponsors -- 142 in the House and 17 in the Senate. “We urge the four companies and Speaker Gingrich to endorse and co-sponsor the Arctic Refuge Wilderness Bill,” said Adam Kolton, Arctic Refuge Campaign Coordinator for the Alaska Wilderness League. “Congress and Speaker Gingrich have the power to permanently protect this national treasure for generations of Americans.” The coalition letters conclude with a challenge to British Petroleum, ARCO, Exxon and Chevron. The letters state: “Last year British Petroleum made corporate and environmental history, recognizing the risks posed by climate change and supporting the Kyoto agreement. We urge you to take the same bold step on the Arctic.” “Momentum for protecting the Arctic Refuge is starting to build. The American people oppose drilling, a record number of co-sponsors are on the Arctic Wilderness bill, and now Speaker Gingrich is talking about the need to preserve the Arctic Refuge,” concluded Manuel. “It’s time for BP, ARCO, Exxon and Chevron to get the message Cancel your drilling plans. Save America’s Arctic.” In addition to U.S. PIRG the Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Conservation Alliance, Alaska Environmental Response Team, Alaska Wilderness League, Defenders of Wildlife, EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund, Grassroots Environmental Effectiveness Network (GREEN), Greenpeace (three of the letters), National Audubon Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Porcupine Caribou Management Board, Sierra Club, Trustees for Alaska, and The Wilderness Society signed on to the letters. For copies of the letters please contact Athan Manuel at 202/546-9707 or at amanuel@pirg.org. ### U.S. PIRG is the national lobbying office for the state Public Interest Research Groups. PIRGs are non-partisan, non-profit environmental and consumer watchdog organizations that are active across the country. |
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