Isn't it finally time to protect the treasures of America's Arctic from destructive drilling? Last year, the world watched in horror as BP's negligence led to the largest manmade environmental disaster in U.S. history in the Gulf of Mexico.
All of America's polar bears live in the Arctic Ocean, migratory caribou still roam free in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and birds from around the globe congregate at Teshekpuk Lake in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. These are natural treasures that belong to us all. We have a duty to protect them.
Here's the message we'll deliver to the White House:
Dear President Barack Obama,
Please do not allow unforgiveable damage to an unforgettable place. America's Arctic -- including the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Arctic Ocean, and special places in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska such as Teshekpuk Lake -- is one of the world's most dynamic, intact ecosystems. America's Arctic is home to polar bears, caribou, musk oxen, beluga and bowhead whales, and numerous species of waterfowl that migrate across the United States.
We, the undersigned, urge you to create a comprehensive conservation and energy plan for America's Arctic. We cannot allow new industrial development, including any new oil and gas development activities, in America's Arctic until we can ensure that the region's dynamic web of life -- and the wildlife and humans that depend on it -- will be protected.
President Obama, don't let small thinking destroy a grand place.
