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, Former 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.”
For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.
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