259 Organizations Urge Oil Companies to Not Bid on Arctic Refuge Leases
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Mason Cummings, TWS
Letter to Oil Companies: Don't Bid on Leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
TO: Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Hilcorp,
The over 250 organizations below, representing over 27.5 million members from all 50 states, are calling on you to not pursue fossil fuel development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; to withhold from bidding on any lease parcels that are offered in the Arctic Refuge in response to the 2017 Tax Act; and to make a public statement in opposition to the development of oil and gas in the Arctic Refuge. The reputational, environmental, climate and economic risks of drilling in the refuge are not worth the potential harm such calamity can do to your brand.
Alaska Native communities like the Gwich’in and Iñupiat depend on the Arctic Refuge and its resources to sustain their communities, culture and way of life. Iñupiat communities rely on Arctic marine species for their diet, which would be impacted by increased oil infrastructure, while the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge has sustained the Gwich’in people for millennia. The Gwich’in are physically and spiritually linked to the Porcupine Caribou Herd, which give birth to their young in the refuge. This is their “Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit” or “Sacred Place Where Life Begins.”
The push to drill in the Arctic Refuge suppresses concerns from Indigenous communities and is a clear violation of their basic human rights. This is why, since 1988, the Gwich’in Nation has opposed oil and gas development in the refuge. The pursuit of industrial development by your company would be in direct conflict with their continued health and spiritual livelihood.
Drilling for oil on the fragile coastal plain will also exacerbate the climate and ecological crisis in an area that is already ground-zero for the climate crisis. Chronic spills of oil and other toxic substances in addition to air, water and noise pollution in the fragile tundra would forever scar this now unsullied land while disrupting wildlife like caribou, polar bear and countless migratory birds.
The Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. In the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), the Bureau of Land Management estimated that an average of more than 375,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions would be released each year during extraction alone -- more than 26 million tons during the full 70-year period the agency estimates for oil and gas production in the coastal plain. If we let drilling happen, entire coastal villages will continue to erode into the sea, permafrost melt will increasingly make infrastructure insecure and food sources will disappear. Producing and burning Arctic Refuge oil would accelerate climate change not just for Arctic communities, but for the world. Future generations will be left to deal with the disastrous impacts.
It’s no wonder that drilling in the refuge is so unpopular. Over 70 percent of voters in the United States oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge which is consistent with the long-held, popular and bi-partisan support for permanent protection of the Arctic Refuge.
Investors are also taking notice. As evidenced by the recent announcements from five of the six largest US domestic banks, the pursuit of oil and gas development in the Arctic Refuge comes with tremendous financial risk as well. Soon we will also be briefing asset managers, insurance and reinsurance companies on the risks of doing business in the Arctic Refuge. As the global community works to pivot away from fossil fuels in the face of climate change, the pursuit of oil and gas in remote corners of the globe will continue to face strong social and political opposition.
Pursuing oil and gas in the Arctic Refuge is increasingly fraught with financial risk. At a time when demand for oil and gas is likely in permanent decline, drilling in the Arctic Refuge doesn’t make fiscal sense. Arctic lease sales are likely to be challenged legally, resulting in additional costs for your beleaguered industry. The risks of investing in new oil exploration are high - no investment in drilling in the Arctic Refuge should be considered safe.
Any company that bids on leases or expresses interest in destroying the Arctic Refuge for oil will face a major public backlash and long-lasting damage to their reputation. As you plan for tomorrow, we hope you recognize that drilling in the Arctic Refuge isn't worth the risk - financially, in terms of your reputations, or for our future. It’s time for you to publicly affirm that you will not drill in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.
Sincerely,
350 Colorado
350 Eastside
350 Maine
350 Seattle
350 Silicon Valley
350 Vermont
350.org
350Brooklyn
350NH
350NYC
A Community Voice
Acadia Center
Al Carter Consulting
Alaska Community Action on Toxics
Alaska Wilderness League
Alaska Wildlife Alliance
Alaskans For Wildlife
Alaskans Take A Stand
Alternatives North
Amazon Watch
American Bird Conservancy
American Packrafting Association
Anthropocene Alliance
Arctic Audubon Society
Arctic Treks LLC
Arctic Wild
Artic Solar Inc
Audubon Society of Omaha
Basin and Range Watch
Bernstein Construction
Braided River
Brighter Green
Bucks County Audubon Society
Californians for Western Wilderness
Call to Action Colorado
Canadian Arctic Resources Committee
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Yukon Chapter
Cass County MN Chapter, Izaak Walton League of America
Catholic Network US
Center for Biological Diversity
Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition
Central Sierra Audubon Society
Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center
Cetacean Society International
Charlton-Pollard Historical Neighborhood Association
Chequamegon Audubon Society
Chicago Audubon Society
Christian Council of Delmarva
Citizen's Committee for Flood Relief
Citizens Local Energy Action Network
Clean Energy Action
Clean Energy Action - Colorado
Clean Yield Asset Management
Climate Action Now!
Climate Action Rhode Island
Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy
Climate Hawks Vote
Coalition for Wetlands and Forests
Conejos Clean Water
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes
Conservation Alabama
Conservation Congress
Conservation Northwest
Conservationist Wilderness Committee
Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship
Cottonwood Institute
Cultural Survival
Cypress Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America
Decatur Audubon Society
Defenders of Wildlife
Detroit Audubon
DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council
Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa Peace and Justice Office
Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
Dominican Sisters of the Roman Congregation
DownRiver Alliance
Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society
Duval Audubon Society
Earth Action, Inc
Earth Ethics, Inc.
Earth Island Institute
Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light
Earthworks
EcoFlight
Ecology Center of Southern California
EEECHO
EGG350.org, Elgin Green Groups350.org
Endangered Species Coalition
Environment America
Environment Council of Rhode Island
Environmental Protection Information Center
Evansville Audubon Society, Inc.
Everence and the Praxis Mutual Funds
Eyak Preservation Council
Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition
Families for a Livable Climate
Figure 8 Investment Strategies
First Peoples Worldwide
Florida Division of the Izaak Walton League of America
Florida Keys Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America
Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice
Franciscan Action Network
Franciscan Peace Center
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges
Friends of Great Salt Lake
Friends of the Earth
Fund Our Future
Georgia Interfaith Power and Light
Glasswaters Foundation
Global Urban Solutions
Great Basin Resource Watch
Great Old Broads for Wilderness
Green America
Green Chalice of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Green Latinos
Green-Rock Audubon Society
GreenFaith
Greenpeace USA
Gwich'in Steering Committee
Harrington Investments, Inc.
HBCUs Outside
Hip Hop Caucus
Hispanic Access Foundation
Hrrrl Scouts
Illinois Division of the Izaak Walton League
Indigenous Environmental Network
Information Network for Responsible Mining
InterAmerican Clean Energy Institute
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Interfaith Power & Light
Iowa Audubon
Izaak Walton League Mangrove Chapter
Juniata Valley Audubon Society
Keeper of the Mountains Foundation
Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light
Kern Audubon Society
Kids Speak For Parks
Klamath Forest Alliance
Labor Network for Sustainability
Lake Co. Audubon Society
Laughing Whitefish Audubon Society
LBC Action
Leadership Team of the Felician Sisters of NA
League of Conservation Voters
Local 100, United Labor Unions
LPESM Riau
Maine Audubon
Maine Conservation Voters
Market Forces
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter
Movement Rights
Mt. Zion Community Outreach, Inc.
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Refuge Association
Native American Rights Fund
Native Movement
Natural Resources Council of Maine
Natural Resources Defense Council
Nature Abounds
NDN Collective
New Energy Economy
New Jersey Sierra Club, Ocean Group
New Mexico Horse Council
New Mexico Sportsmen
New Mexico Voices for Children
North Cascades Audubon Society
Northcoast Environmental Center
Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Audubon Society
Northern Alaska Environmental Center
Northern Arizona Audubon Society
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Oakland Audubon Society
Olympic Climate Action
Olympic Forest Coalition
Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
Onondaga Audubon
OUT There Adventures
OVEC-Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Perpetual Motion NW
Physicians for Social Responsibility Maine Chapter
Polly Dyer Cascadia Great Old Broads for Wilderness
Project Coyote
Protect Our Winters
Pueblo Action Alliance
Rachel Carson Council
Rainforest Action Network
Rapid Shift Network
Raptors Are The Solution
Region VI Coalition for Responsible Investment
RESTORE: The North Woods
Rio Grande Indivisible
Rivers & Birds, Inc.
Rocky Mountain Recreation Initiative
Rocky Mountain Wild
Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment
San Diego Audubon Society
San Juan Citizens Alliance
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council
Save Our Canyons
Save Our Illinois Land
Scott Community College Environmental Club
Seventh Generation Interfaith
Sheep Mountain Alliance
Sierra Club
Sierra Club Foundation
Sierra Forest Legacy
Sisters of Bon Secours USA
Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth
Sisters of Mary Reparatrix
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team
Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, New York
Sisters of St. Dominic of Tacoma and Associates
Sisters of St. Francis-Dubuque
Sisters of the Holy Names, U.S.-Ontario Province
Sisters of the Presentation of the BVM
Skye Advisors LLC
South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership
Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative
Southern United Neighborhoods
Stand.earth
Staten Island Coalition for Wetlands and Forests
Staten Island Urban Center, Inc.
Stockbridge Audubon Chapter
Sunrise Movement
Sustaining Way
SustainUS
Tennessee Wild
The American Alpine Club
The Climate Center
The Climate Museum
The Land Institute
The Lands Council
The Mountain Pact
The Wilderness Society
Trustees for Alaska
Turtle Island Restoration Network
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment
Vermont Conservation Voters
Voices for Earth Justice
Vote Climate
Washington Wild
Western Environmental Law Center
Western Watersheds Project
Wild Heritage
WildEarth Guardians
Wilderness in the City
Wilderness Watch
Wildlife Adventures
Winter Wildlands Alliance
Wintu Audubon Society
Wisconsin Conservation Voters
Wisconsin Metro Audubon Society
Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN)
Zumbro Valley Audubon
