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To: earthday@earthday.net
From: Peter Drekmeier <pdrekmeier@earthday.net>
Subject: Exxon Valdez Anniversary
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Friends,
The Exxon Valdez oil spill, which took place ten years ago today, was a
good example of how our reliance on outdated, polluting energy sources
threatens our natural environment (for other examples, see
www.earthday.net/energy/wild_energy.html).
With this in mind, I'm forwarding the following message.
-Peter
From: "Roger Featherstone" <RFeather@albq.defenders.org>
Organization: Defenders of Wildlife
To: actgreen@envirolink.org
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999
MIME-Version: 1.0
Subject: ACTION ALERT--Ask your Rep to Cosponsor Alaska Wilderness Bill
Priority: normal
Reply-To: RFeather@albq.defenders.org
Sender: owner-actgreen@envirolink.org
Status:
March 24, 1999
Today is the tenth anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Instead of
learning from the spill and curtailing oil activities in the largest, most
pristine part of the US, oil companies continue a full court press to
develop every last wild place in the country. To do this at a time when
oil prices are the lowest they've been in 20 years is just insane.
To mark the oil spill anniversary, Representative Bruce Vento (D-MN) is
introducing a wilderness bill to forever protect the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge coastal plain from oil drilling.
Please contact your Representative and ask them to join Representative
Vento as a cosponsor of this bill. A sample letter is enclosed for you to
send to your Representative.
Thanks,
Roger Featherstone
GREEN Director
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHAT TO DO
Contact your Representative as soon as possible and ask him/her to
cosponsor the Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act that will be introduced March
24 on the 10th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
The Congressional Switchboard number is (202) 224-3121
Additional contact information for your Congressional delegation is located
at: http://www.defenders.org/stat.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember the Exxon Valdez, Protect the Arctic Refuge
Today, March 24 -- the 10 year anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill --
Representative Bruce Vento (D-MN) plans to reintroduce "The Morris K Udall
Wilderness Act" which would forever protect the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge coastal plain from oil drilling. Contact your Representatives today
and urge them to sign on as original cosponsors. By doing so, you can help
make sure another oil catastrophe never again despoils Alaska's
incomparable wilderness.
Background
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill was one of the worst environmental
disasters in American history, devastating wildlife, habitat, and crippling
the subsistence lifestyles of Native Americans who live around Prince
William Sound. The spill killed up to 5,500 sea otters, 300 harbor seals,
22 orca whales, and hundreds of thousands of murres, murrelets, loons and
other seabirds. 10 years later, oil still contaminates the Sound,
including National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and the Chugach
National Forest.
Before the spill, oil company officials promised "zero spillage" in the
Sound. Today, Exxon is making the same promises about drilling in the
Refuge. It's chairman, Lee Raymond claims "development [in the Refuge] can
proceed in a way that is fully compatible with Arctic wildlife and the
environment." Nothing could be further from the truth. Oil drilling in the
1.5 million acre Arctic Refuge coastal plain would forever change America's
last great Arctic wilderness. Polar bears, grizzlies, wolves, and millions
of migratory birds would be at risk. So too would the 129,000 member
Porcupine (River) Caribou Herd -- which the Gwich'in people depend on for
subsistence.
We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. Call your
Representatives today at 202-224-3121 and/or fax/e-mail the following
sample letter:
Sample Letter:
The Honorable _________________
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Representative _____________:
March 24, marks the 10 year anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Rather than simply dwelling on the past, I hope you will mark the occasion
by taking steps to ensure such an oil catastrophe never again despoils
Alaska's majestic wilderness. Signing on as an original cosponsor to "The
Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act is a good place to start. The legislation
would forever protect the 1.5 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
coastal plain from a risky oil development scheme being advanced by Exxon
and other multinational corporations.
The legislation, sponsored by Representative Bruce Vento, already enjoys
broad bipartisan support, with more than 110 of your colleagues signing on
to date. The wisdom and foresight of this measure is clear: we should not
take chances when it comes to our natural treasures. The Exxon Valdez
taught us that no matter what the industry's assurances are, no matter what
its best technology is, oil drilling and extraction in environmentally
sensitive areas is a risky business.
95 percent of Alaska's vast North Slope is already being explored or
drilled by the industry. Surely we can protect this last five percent for
future generations. Don't let what happened to the sea otters, killer
whales, and shorebirds of Prince William Sound happen to the caribou, polar
bears, and migratory birds of America's Arctic. Remember the Exxon Valdez
and cosponsor the Morris K. Udall Wilderness Act. Please let me know what
your decision is.
Sincerely,
(your name)
(your address)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roger Featherstone, GREEN Director
PO Box 40046, Albuquerque, NM 87196-0046
(505) 255-5966 x102 fax, (505) 255-5953 rfeather@defenders.org
http://www.defenders.org/grnhome.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter Drekmeier
Earth Day Network/Earth Day 2000
91 Marion Street
Seattle, WA 98104
Tel (206) 264-0114 ext. 201
pdrekmeier@earthday.net
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