John,
Alaska’s Cook Inlet is home to beluga whales and sea otters protected under the Endangered Species Act. It also supports a multifaceted tourist industry and is essential to the Alaska Native communities who have stewarded these lands and waters for millennia.
But this priceless place is threatened by more oil drilling.
The Biden administration recently auctioned off Cook Inlet for oil and gas drilling. A company named Hilcorp was the only bidder — but it’s not too late to stop this reckless giveaway. While Congress mandated that the sale be held, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management can reject any bids received during the sale.
If Hilcorp drills in this fragile environment, Cook Inlet belugas — already struggling to survive — will be pushed even closer to the brink of extinction. There are likely fewer than 270 of these small cetaceans left on Earth, and they’re especially vulnerable to the noise and pollution associated with oil and gas activities.
Not only that, but state and federal records show that Hilcorp has a long history of spills and other accidents at its existing operations in Alaska. The company has also been repeatedly cited for violating safety regulations. According to the Alaska Oil and Gas Commission, “disregard for regulatory compliance is endemic to Hilcorp’s approach to its Alaska operations.”
Tell the Biden administration: To protect Cook Inlet’s beluga whales, Hilcorp’s bid must be rejected.
