Last night, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced legislative language that would allow destructive oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, making fossil fuel development a primary purpose of America’s premier wildlife reserve. This damaging legislation is slated to be added to an unrelated budget reconciliation bill that will be considered in the Senate under an expedited process.
Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement:
“This toxic legislation would turn vital wildlife habitat into an oil field. It’s pure politics and bad science.
“With this proposal, Senator Murkowski’s long-standing wish to shove aside polar bears, caribou, wolves and environmental protections and give away the Arctic refuge to the fossil fuel industry is a frightening step closer to reality. Despite Senator Murkowski’s spin, industrializing the biological heart of the Arctic Refuge will never be compatible with protecting its world class wildlife values.
“We urge the Senate to reject this terrible proposal and remove any provisions for Arctic refuge drilling from the FY 2018 budget process.”
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
