Keeping Canada’s Pacific coast oil free – Urgent action needed!
http://www.wildcanada.net/documents/aa-212b.asp

The Bush administration is proposing to open over 90 percent of Wyoming's spectacular Great Divide wildlands to large-scale oil and gas drilling.

Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction.asp
right now and send a message telling the Bureau of Land Management that you oppose its destructive plan to industrialize some of America's greatest natural and cultural treasures.

The Great Divide boasts spectacular desert wildlands, sculpted badlands and one of the largest active sand dune fields in North America. It is home to one of the world's last viable wild populations of the endangered black-footed ferret, large herds of pronghorn, wild horses and rare birdlife like the ferruginous hawk and the burrowing owl.

These wide open spaces have a colorful past, being the ancestral homelands of the Shoshone and Ute peoples, the site of the Overland and Cherokee trails traveled by the pioneers and the favorite hiding places of outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

But the Bush administration's proposed plan would give only token protection to the sensitive big game winter ranges, migration corridors and important habitats for rare wildlife. And it would allow destructive industrialization of the most fragile areas.

Just as bad, the plan would not protect almost 3,000 sites cherished by Native Americans, archeologists and trails enthusiasts. Hundreds of those sites are eligible for designation on the National Register of Historic Places.

I urge you to go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction.asp
right now and make your voice heard in defense of the Great Divide's irreplaceable natural and cultural treasures!

Sincerely,

John H. Adams
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

Take Action

Tell Members of Congress to Keep Arctic Drilling OUT of the Budget Bill

The fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an incomparable wilderness and wildlife sanctuary, may be decided in the next two to three weeks. In early March, oil industry allies in the House and Senate are expected to attempt a sneaky backdoor maneuver to attach Arctic drilling to the upcoming federal budget bill.

Even if you have taken action on this already, we need you to do so again. Please tell your members of Congress to firmly oppose Arctic Refuge oil drilling in the budget bill.

Take immediate action now by clicking here:
http://ga1.org/campaign/arcticbudget/wd8ks5x2y7tb5w5

Photo above: Rainbow over the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, AK. Courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service. Photo below: Caribou on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Courtesy of Ken Whitten.

Background

The budget bill is the greatest threat to the Arctic Refuge we will see this year. Drilling proponents know the issue is too controversial to use the normal legislative process to open the Refuge to oil drilling. Instead they hope to win the Refuge by attaching oil drilling legislation to the must-pass Budget bill which needs just a simple majority to pass.

The issue of oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge is too important to the American public and future generations to be snuck through in the budget bill in an attempt to circumvent the established process. If it is to be considered at all, it should be discussed and brought to a vote on its own merits.

Not This Place

There are some places that should be off-limits to oil drilling and industrial development, and the Arctic Refuge is one of them. The harm to wildlife habitat for polar bear, caribou, and millions of migratory birds would be permanent and irreparable. We have a moral responsibility to save wild places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations. That's why our country has remained committed to its protection for nearly 50 years.

Not a Solution to Energy Problems

Drilling in the Refuge won't solve our energy problems. It is not worth damaging America's greatest national wildlife refuge for what the U.S. Geological Survey says would be far less oil than the U.S. consumes in a single year.

It's misleading and untrue to say oil drilling won't harm the environment, since the result would be a sprawling industrial complex of drilling sites spread throughout one and a half million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Hundreds of miles of pipelines and roads, airstrips, power lines and pumping stations and housing for workers would be needed, as well as tankers to transport this oil - risking further oil spills in critical habitat. And even the oil companies admit none of the oil would reach the market for 10 years.

The best ways to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil are to conserve more, make cars more fuel efficient, and invest in renewable forms of energy like wind and solar.

Please Take Action, and Ask Your Friends To Do So As Well

Please contact your members of Congress with your urgent request about preventing drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge now.
http://ga1.org/campaign/arcticbudget/wd8ks5x2y7tb5w5

Our ability to prevent the backdoor budget maneuver will hinge on our ability to convince Congress that, as William O. Douglas once said, "This last American wilderness must remain sacrosanct." Please take action, and then forward this message to ten of your friends and ask them to do the same.

Or send your own letter using the sample below. You can look up contact information for your Members of Congress at:
http://www.wilderness.org/TakeAction/contactdir.cfm

As always, we thank you for your help. We cannot succeed without your steadfast support and activism!

Sample Letter

Dear Senator/Representative:

Within the next few weeks you and your colleagues will be voting on the FY2006 budget bill. I strongly urge you to stop any and all attempts to insert Arctic Refuge oil drilling in the upcoming budget legislation.

The issue of oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge is too important to the American public and future generations to be snuck through in the budget bill in an attempt to circumvent the established process. If it is to be considered at all, it should be discussed and brought to a vote on its own merits.

There are some places that should be off-limits to oil drilling and industrial development, and the Arctic Refuge is one of them. We have a moral responsibility to save wild places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations. That's why our country has remained committed to its protection for nearly 50 years.

Drilling in the Refuge won't solve our energy problems. The best ways to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil are to conserve more, develop more fuel-efficient cars, and invest in renewable forms of energy like wind and solar power.

And it's misleading and untrue to say oil drilling won't harm the environment, since the result would be a sprawling industrial complex of drilling sites spread throughout one and a half million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Hundreds of miles of pipelines and roads, airstrips, power lines and pumping stations and housing for workers would be needed, as well as tankers to transport this oil -- risking further oil spills in critical habitat. And even the oil companies admit none of the oil would reach the market for 10 years.

I'm counting on your leadership to keep the Arctic Refuge out of the Budget bill.

Sincerely,
(Include your name and address)



Words to Inspire

"The Arctic has a call that is compelling. The distant mountains [of the Brooks Range in Alaska] make one want to go on and on over the next ridge and over the one beyond. The call is that of a wilderness known only to a few...This last American wilderness must remain sacrosanct."
- William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 1960.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/world/


Informant: Di

One of the most serious threats to Canada's implementation of the Kyoto Protocol is the Government’s reluctance to regulate industry - especially the car industry. Canada's Kyoto plan sets a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles by 5.2 megatonnes by 2010. However, instead of setting enforceable regulations, as California has done with its Clean Car Legislation, the Canadian government is counting on the auto-industry to lower vehicle emissions voluntarily. While auto-makers have agreed to voluntary reductions, they will not agree to an overall emission standard, and are actively trying to undermine California's Clean Car Legislation.

Tell Prime Minister Martin the auto-industry must be regulated! To ensure we meet our Kyoto obligations, auto-makers must meet targets that are transparent and enforceable. Paul Martin’s decision is not only an important Canadian issue, but could play a significant role in achieving low emission vehicles throughout North America.

Along with Prime Minister Paul Martin, your letter will go to your MP and MLA/MPP if you are in Canada. Please enter your postal code or country to display the appropriate action letter.

http://www.actionworks.ca/clientfiles/syc/actioncentres/syc/takeaction.jsp