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| Dear Friend, |
| Earthjustice just filed our first lawsuit against the Trump administration’s aggressive oil-drilling agenda in Arctic lands. |
| The Trump administration illegally approved ConocoPhillips’ plan to explore for more oil in the Western Arctic, which would subject hundreds of square miles to a parade of harmful machinery, including 90,000-pound “thumper trucks.” |
| The thumper trucks repeatedly strike the tundra, scarring fragile ecosystems. And yet, the Trump administration approved this project without taking adequate, legally required steps to mitigate the harms from these activities. |
| This unlawful permit is part of the administration’s all-out assault on Alaska’s Arctic, which aims to maximize drilling across the entire region with no regard for the untenable ecological and climate impacts of new fossil fuel infrastructure on public lands. |
| Earthjustice has fought against oil drilling in the Arctic for decades. Thanks to your support, we will never stop fighting. To support this lawsuit and help us protect the Arctic, you can donate today, and your gift will be matched to double your impact. |
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| The Western Arctic needs protection: |
| The Western Arctic is the nation’s largest intact tract of public land, covering 23 million acres of diverse habitats. The caribou that roam its tundra provide vital and cultural resources for nearby Alaska Native communities. Migratory birds from around the world come here to nest, and endangered species like polar bears call it home. |
| But now, the Western Arctic is under threat: |
| If it were allowed to proceed, ConocoPhillips’ exploratory program would push industrialization west into undeveloped and fragile ecosystems. That’s including parts of the Colville River and Teshekpuk Lake Special Areas — specially-designated areas that require maximum protection because of their significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical and scenic values. |
| Alaska’s Arctic is already warming three to four times faster than the rest of the planet. Expanding fossil fuel infrastructure on public lands increases greenhouse gases, worsening the climate crisis worldwide and locking Alaska residents into expensive and life-threatening climate-related damages. |
| This project is just the beginning of Trump’s Arctic agenda: |
| The administration has stripped protections from the Western Arctic and is poised to lease millions of acres of ecologically sensitive tundra to oil and gas companies. |
| To the east, the administration is attacking the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In October, it opened the entire 1.56 million acres of the Arctic Refuge’s Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing. These lands are sacred to the Gwich’in people and are home to irreplaceable wildlife. |
| Earthjustice is fighting to protect the Arctic: |
| We sued to stop this project because the administration failed to mitigate the serious harm it would cause the tundra, wildlife, and subsistence resources important to Alaska Native communities. |
| This lawsuit is just one of many in a decades-long fight to keep oil and gas interests from destroying the Arctic and worsening climate change. During the first Trump administration, an Earthjustice lawsuit helped halt the Peregrine oil exploration project, which could have had a climate impact equal to 170 coal-fired power plants operating for a year. |
| We’ve also sued to block oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and so far have prevented any drilling on public lands there. |
| In every lawsuit, we represent our clients free of charge, so donations from supporters like you power our work. Please consider giving to Earthjustice today, and it will be matched to double your impact. |
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Sincerely,
Ian Dooley,
Senior Associate Attorney,
Earthjustice Alaska Office |
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