Undoing Bush-era policies is going to take some time, but this is one that needs to be addressed right away. Drilling in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska would threaten marine mammals who make the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas their homes – and the local cultures that depend on them for their very way of life.

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Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am opposed to the lease sales proposed in the Arctic Ocean by the Minerals Management Service.

The Beaufort and Chukchi Seas that make up America's Arctic Ocean have long been one of the world's most unique marine ecosystems, home to polar bears, endangered bowhead whales, beluga whales, walruses, seals, sea birds, and more. The Inupiat people of Alaska's North Slope depend on these living marine resources for the survival of their culture.

This region is suffering the impacts of global warming like no other region on earth. The ice that is a vital part of the ecosystem's survival is melting at an alarming rate - surpassing scientists' predictions. Tundra is receding into the sea. It makes no sense to compound this stress to the Arctic ecosystem with the impacts of massive and environmentally dangerous oil and gas development.

The Bush administration admitted in the draft environmental impact statement that it did not have full scientific baseline data to determine the full impact of oil and gas activity in the Arctic Ocean. That's why we are urging the Obama administration to take a time out and undertake the necessary scientific and cultural studies to determine the true impact of development in this sensitive ecosystem.

I urge Interior Secretary Salazar and President Obama to immediately halt all activities related to these environmentally dangerous proposals.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
February 26, 2009