House Advances Arctic Refuge Drilling

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on the FY18 budget resolution (216-212) which advances drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Statement by Alaska Wilderness League, Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society:

“The U.S. House of Representatives voted today on an FY18 budget resolution that will advance drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The resolution directly authorizes Congress to include Arctic Refuge drilling in the budget reconciliation bill that will carry tax reform, a procedural maneuver to force legislation through Congress that most Americans oppose.

Congress and the oil lobby are trying to sneak drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge through when they think the American people are not looking.  Fortunately, it’s not too late.  A strong majority of Americans continue to oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge, and there remains bipartisan opposition in Congress to this extreme proposal.  We are calling on principled leaders in Congress to ensure that this sneak attack on the Arctic Refuge is not successful.

For more the 30 years, the oil lobby and their allies in Congress have tried to drill in the biological heart of the Arctic Refuge. However, because of overwhelming opposition by Americans, the Arctic Refuge is still wild and protected today.

Some places in our nation are simply too special, too sacred to drill – and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of them. The Arctic Refuge is one of our nation’s most majestic places and home to the Porcupine Caribou Herd, which the Gwich’in Nation depends on for survival. It is also home musk oxen, wolves, imperiled polar bears, and nearly 200 species of migratory birds that migrate to six continents and all 50 states. We will not stop until this special place is protected from those who want to plunder it.”