Change.org Petition: Protect the Arctic - Stop Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Last weekend, the Senate passed a historic bill aimed at fighting climate change. But the bill was stripped of its original protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This reserve is the largest in the country, and home to polar bears, caribou, wolves, beavers and countless species of birds. Add your name to protect the reserve for all the animals and people who rely on it. Stop Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 650,078 have signed Frank Escalona, Michael Cianos and Susan Schmid’s petition. Let’s get to 1,000,000!

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There are few places left on earth that haven’t been changed by industry and development. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is the single largest one of those places. Today, fate of permanent protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge rests on a Senate controlled by fossil fuel interests. There was promise in the original "Build Back Better Act" to provide protection for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but the Bill has been watered down into the disastrous "Inflation Reduction Act" where the protection that had been offered to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been withdrawn in what amounts to a huge betrayal by the Senators that had originally purported to be in favor of PERMANENT protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. At the same time the "Inflation Reduction Act" has no transparent accountability (spending/success metrics) , and gives the Fossil Fuel Industry, Oil Lease options in the Gulf Coast, Alaska Coast and leaves Arctic National Wildlife Refuge open to Oil Lease sales in the near future. It is amazing that the politicians involved behind this Bill call it an environmental Bill and they don’t even have the courage to place "Climate Change" or "Environment" in the name of the Bill, an immediate red flag if you give it some thought. This BETRAYAL of The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is ENORMOUS IN SCOPE, as to get stand alone legislation will take 60 votes in the Senate and that is impossible to achieve anytime in the near future. This was the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s best near term chance for protection as this Bill only required a simple majority given to it by the V.P. It leads one to wonder why this sacrifice was made?? After meaningful protection had been given in the original Bill!! There was a time when we did have significant environmental legislation that was bipartisan, headed by great leadership in the White House, Senate and House, it was from 1970 to 1973 and the Bills that came from that era are the bedrock of our environmental fight to this day. Those laws have names like: "Endangered Species Act", "Clean Air Act", "Clean Water Act", "Marine Mammal Protection Act", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration",  "Environmental Protection Agency" all these bedrock laws of our fight for the environment were not a result of incremental changes, they were a result of good leadership reacting to a pollution and species extinction crisis. Making massive investments in the environment and for the first time holding INDUSTRY ACCOUNTABLE for their environmental crimes!! ( why we have been deprived of such earth saving legislation  after 1973 is the plot of a Documentary that we are now working on called "Nixon: The Last Environmentalist") So where does that leave us???? With and environmental Bill, called an "INFLATION REDUCTION ACT", please!!  We need to commence a new effort for permanent protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Please contact your Representatives and Senators and express your disapproval of the removal of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge protection from their Inflation Reduction Act. Ask that they begin to consider a stand alone transparent and simple Bill that gives PERMANENT PROTECTION FOR The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!   Join us in making Arctic National Wildlife Refuge history without Congress! The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge suffers from lack of visibility. It does not have a Visitor Center! No place where Alaskans, nor visitors to Alaska can sense the value of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in its pristine state, as an economic engine for tourism. Building this Visitor Center in Fairbanks, Alaska can generate a wave of positive community, state and national influence to help keep the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, WILD! Keep oil in the ground and protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by donating to the construction of a Visitor Center: https://donorbox.org/help-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge Please see "UPDATE" below for more detailed action opportunities

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