Friend — last week, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced a temporary moratorium on drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, declaring that leases that were issued in the final days of the Trump administration had "multiple legal deficiencies."

The oil and gas industry is going ballistic, and we're anticipating a major political battle in the coming days.

Here's the problem: the moratorium isn't permanent. It builds in time for an environmental review, but we still need legislative action to restore protections for good. In the meantime, lawmakers will be facing fierce pressure campaigns from drilling companies.

That can't go unanswered. friend — really quick — I'm reaching out to ask if you'll renew your LCV membership. Right now, all it takes is $5. Every contribution is being triple matched through the end of the month.

At LCV, we go toe-to-toe with corporate polluters and win, year after year after year. But without members, our campaigns don't work. Your support means everything right now. Here's where things stand in our campaign:

2021 LCV SUMMER MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
GOAL: $100,000
PROGRESS: 9% to goal
MATCH STATUS: [TRIPLE MATCH AVAILABLE]

Confirm your membership status below, then make a donation today »
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Make no mistake — this is a big deal. The action by the Biden administration follows years of campaigning by Indigenous communities and environmental activists. It's a matter of basic human rights. The Indigenous Gwich'in people rely on the Refuge — calling its coastal plain the "Sacred Place Where Life Begins" — because their culture, traditions, and community are deeply tied to the land and wildlife.

But we need to keep the pressure up to secure permanent protections for the Arctic Refuge. Otherwise, this is just a temporary victory. And the truth is, it's not the only huge environmental battle we're facing right now:

This month, Congress and the Biden administration are negotiating the American Jobs Plan. The bill has the potential to be the most important piece of climate legislation in history — including huge investments to modernize our energy, transportation, and water infrastructure, all while creating millions of green jobs and combating environmental racism.

But we're witnessing a last-minute push to narrow the definition of infrastructure to just "roads and bridges" — squeezing out any action on clean energy, climate, and environmental justice.

These negotiations are happening now. We need to be raising hell. But how big we can go with our campaigns depends on our members — so we're asking:

Please, renew your LCV membership today — it only costs $5 »

Thank you, friend. We'll be in touch with next steps soon.

Onward,

Gene Karpinski
President
League of Conservation Voters