Dear John,

The Trump administration seems determined to do as much damage to our environment as possible on its way out of the White House. Last month, we learned that the administration was once again pushing to auction off development rights for oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) -- one of our nation’s last remaining pristine natural landscapes.

Not only would exploiting these lands for oil and gas accelerate the burning of the fossil fuels that are fanning the flames of climate chaos, it would put local communities, native peoples, and subsistence hunters at needless risk. It could also cause irreparable damage to the habitats of countless endangered and threatened species, including caribou, lynx, Arctic foxes, seals, moose, brown bears, black bears, and of course, polar bears. We can’t risk losing these incredible creatures.

To learn more, I hope you will join me tomorrow at a special virtual event hosted by the Oregon Zoo featuring Dr. Steven Amstrup, Polar Bears International chief scientist and one of the world’s foremost experts on Arctic ecosystems. He and I will be discussing the impact of drilling on polar bear moms and cubs and what we need to do to protect the Arctic, and I hope you’ll tune in to ask us your questions. Head to this link tomorrow, December 8, at 11:30 a.m. to check it out -- and to see some cute polar bear pictures from Dr. Amstrup’s travels!

As we face the already devastating impacts of climate chaos on our environment and public health, we must act quickly to reduce our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, not sacrifice our pristine natural resources and endangered wildlife to benefit the fossil fuel industry.

That’s why I’m going to keep doing using my seats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, and the Bicameral Task Force on Climate, as well as the Environmental Justice Caucus, to advocate for the bold climate legislation we need to ban new fossil fuel leases on taxpayer-owned lands and waters.

That work will include continuing to fight for legislation like the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act and the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, and pressuring the U.S. Department of the Interior to put the well-being of all of those who rely on our lands and waters above the wish lists of a few wealthy fossil fuel executives. I’ll be sure to keep you updated along the way, and I thank you for joining me in this critical fight.

All my best,
Jeff