Friend,

In a last-minute push, the Trump administration is aiming a final blow at one of our most precious American wildernesses.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where mother polar bears travel to have their cubs and birds migrate from every corner of the country, is one of our nation's most unique wild places. But the Department of the Interior announced it will invite oil companies to begin the process of leasing lands in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling.1

This backward proposal is open for public comments -- which means you have the chance to have your voice officially heard in the decision-making process.

We need your voice. Submit your comment today to defend the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from drilling.

There is simply no way to do massive, industrial-level oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Refuge without damaging the habitat of caribou, wolves, polar bears and other unique creatures that call the refuge home. Building roads and shipping in heavy machinery would tear up the landscape and destroy important polar bear habitat before drilling even begins.

And once ruined, the Arctic Refuge can never be restored.

We can't lose this wild, beautiful place forever. Make sure your voice is heard to defend the Arctic before the comment period closes.

This decision comes as our reliance on fossil fuels is shifting. We don't need to open up new precious areas of our country to drilling just to burn more dirty energy when clean, renewable energy sources like solar and wind are on the rise across the country. Over the past decade, solar has grown 30-fold and wind power has tripled, and these energy sources don't require us to destroy America's special places to power our society.2

When I think of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- the mother polar bears who raise their cubs there, the herds of caribou and packs of roaming wolves, the seemingly endless mountain vistas -- I know that this wild place has more value than just the oil beneath its surface.

If you agree, join us in speaking out against this damaging proposal.

Submit your public comment to keep drilling out of the Arctic.

Thank you,

Hannah Collazo
State Director

1. Henry Fountain, "Trump Administration, in Late Push, Moves to Sell Oil Rights in Arctic Refuge," The New York Times, November 16, 2020.
2. "Renewables on the Rise," Environment America Research & Policy Center, October 2020.