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Bye-Bye, Big Oil: Obama Administration Scraps Arctic Drilling Plans
Campaigners say that the Obama administration is heeding the call of the climate movement—and slowly shifting action to match its rhetoric on global warming
Oct 17, 2015
The Obama administration announced late Friday that it was canceling new lease sales for drilling in the Arctic's Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Environmentalists hail this decision as a step toward keeping unburnable oil "in the ground."
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell declared that two offshore lease sales scheduled for 2016 and 2017 would be canceled, citing "current market conditions" and "low industry interest" and Shell's recent decision to scrap its Arctic drilling plans.
However, campaigners said the move was likely the result of the fierce opposition campaign and the growing awareness that if the White House intends to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, the country must cease new oil exploration and, instead, invest in more renewable energy alternatives.
"Scientists have long been clear that fully 100% of Arctic oil is unburnable if we're serious about averting the worst impacts of climate change. That's why the climate movement stepped up and forced even the most irresponsible company on Earth to admit that it wouldn't make sense to drill in the Arctic," said 350.org executive director May Boeve. "Now, the Obama administration is heeding the call as well--and slowly shifting action to match its rhetoric on climate change."
Boeve said that the Keystone XL pipeline company, TransCanada, and the rest of Big Oil should "take this as a very bad sign for their future."
The Interior Department also noted that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) also denied requests from Shell and Statoil for extensions on their drilling leases, meaning the current lease for drilling in the Beaufort Sea will expire in 2017 and 2020 for the Chukchi Sea.
Miyoko Sakashita with the Center for Biological Diversity hailed the move as a "huge win for Arctic wildlife and our climate."
"Americans have spoken repeatedly about the perils of Arctic drilling," Sakashita said. "It's gratifying to see these leases finally canceled, and now it's time to declare the Arctic off-limits to drilling forever."
Echoing the sentiments of other groups that want to see the administration follow through with strong decisions against the Keystone XL pipeline and fossil fuel leasing on public lands, Sakashita added: "It can't stop here though: It's time to take the next step and pledge to keep this oil in the ground and transition quickly to energy sources that are safer, smarter and better for all of us."
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Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
350.orgarcticarctic drillingbig oilcenter for biological diversityclimate changeenvironmentfossil fuelsgreenhouse gas emissionskeystone xlkeystone xl pipelineobama administrationoffshore drillingshelltranscanada
The Obama administration announced late Friday that it was canceling new lease sales for drilling in the Arctic's Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Environmentalists hail this decision as a step toward keeping unburnable oil "in the ground."
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell declared that two offshore lease sales scheduled for 2016 and 2017 would be canceled, citing "current market conditions" and "low industry interest" and Shell's recent decision to scrap its Arctic drilling plans.
However, campaigners said the move was likely the result of the fierce opposition campaign and the growing awareness that if the White House intends to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, the country must cease new oil exploration and, instead, invest in more renewable energy alternatives.
"Scientists have long been clear that fully 100% of Arctic oil is unburnable if we're serious about averting the worst impacts of climate change. That's why the climate movement stepped up and forced even the most irresponsible company on Earth to admit that it wouldn't make sense to drill in the Arctic," said 350.org executive director May Boeve. "Now, the Obama administration is heeding the call as well--and slowly shifting action to match its rhetoric on climate change."
Boeve said that the Keystone XL pipeline company, TransCanada, and the rest of Big Oil should "take this as a very bad sign for their future."
The Interior Department also noted that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) also denied requests from Shell and Statoil for extensions on their drilling leases, meaning the current lease for drilling in the Beaufort Sea will expire in 2017 and 2020 for the Chukchi Sea.
Miyoko Sakashita with the Center for Biological Diversity hailed the move as a "huge win for Arctic wildlife and our climate."
"Americans have spoken repeatedly about the perils of Arctic drilling," Sakashita said. "It's gratifying to see these leases finally canceled, and now it's time to declare the Arctic off-limits to drilling forever."
Echoing the sentiments of other groups that want to see the administration follow through with strong decisions against the Keystone XL pipeline and fossil fuel leasing on public lands, Sakashita added: "It can't stop here though: It's time to take the next step and pledge to keep this oil in the ground and transition quickly to energy sources that are safer, smarter and better for all of us."
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The Obama administration announced late Friday that it was canceling new lease sales for drilling in the Arctic's Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Environmentalists hail this decision as a step toward keeping unburnable oil "in the ground."
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell declared that two offshore lease sales scheduled for 2016 and 2017 would be canceled, citing "current market conditions" and "low industry interest" and Shell's recent decision to scrap its Arctic drilling plans.
However, campaigners said the move was likely the result of the fierce opposition campaign and the growing awareness that if the White House intends to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, the country must cease new oil exploration and, instead, invest in more renewable energy alternatives.
"Scientists have long been clear that fully 100% of Arctic oil is unburnable if we're serious about averting the worst impacts of climate change. That's why the climate movement stepped up and forced even the most irresponsible company on Earth to admit that it wouldn't make sense to drill in the Arctic," said 350.org executive director May Boeve. "Now, the Obama administration is heeding the call as well--and slowly shifting action to match its rhetoric on climate change."
Boeve said that the Keystone XL pipeline company, TransCanada, and the rest of Big Oil should "take this as a very bad sign for their future."
The Interior Department also noted that the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) also denied requests from Shell and Statoil for extensions on their drilling leases, meaning the current lease for drilling in the Beaufort Sea will expire in 2017 and 2020 for the Chukchi Sea.
Miyoko Sakashita with the Center for Biological Diversity hailed the move as a "huge win for Arctic wildlife and our climate."
"Americans have spoken repeatedly about the perils of Arctic drilling," Sakashita said. "It's gratifying to see these leases finally canceled, and now it's time to declare the Arctic off-limits to drilling forever."
Echoing the sentiments of other groups that want to see the administration follow through with strong decisions against the Keystone XL pipeline and fossil fuel leasing on public lands, Sakashita added: "It can't stop here though: It's time to take the next step and pledge to keep this oil in the ground and transition quickly to energy sources that are safer, smarter and better for all of us."
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