San Diego, CA -- A crowd of local activists, joined by representatives from the Gwich’in Steering Committee, Stand.earth, and the Sierra Club, gathered last night outside an oil and gas industry gathering in San Diego to express opposition to drilling in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Considered sacred to the Gwich’in Nation and key to their food security and way of life, this unique place has been protected for generations, until a provision in the 2017 tax bill opened it for oil and gas leasing. The Trump administration has been pushing for drilling on an accelerated schedule ever since, and hopes to hold a lease sale in the coastal plain as soon as this winter.
BP announced last week that it is selling off all of its assets in the Arctic, including an exploratory well in the coastal plain, casting significant doubt on the business case for drilling in the Refuge. The crowd held a vigil outside this week’s summit, sponsored by major oil companies including Chevron and Exxon, to highlight public opposition to Arctic drilling and send a clear message that, as BP’s recent Arctic exit makes clear, investing in drilling in the coastal plain would be bad business.
For photos from last night’s action, contact Kiersten Iwai at kiersten@stand.earth
“The coastal plain is sacred to our people, and our food security, culture, and way of life depend on its protection,” said Gwich’in Steering Committee Executive Director Bernadette Demientieff. “It is no place for drilling, and we will continue to send this message to the industry until they pledge to leave our sacred lands intact.”
“It's becoming increasingly clear that oil and gas development in the Arctic Refuge is not only morally reprehensible, it is bad business,” said Kiersten Iwai, Digital and Climate Campaigner with Stand.earth. “By the time oil drilled from the Refuge will be available for public use, oil and gas will have become a relic of the past. Any oil company that dares to go against the will of the people and trample the rights of Indigenous peoples whose lands we have stolen can expect public resistance. We saw it with the Dakota Access Pipeline, we saw it with the Keystone Pipeline. And if need be, we will see it with the Refuge.”
“The rest of the oil industry needs to recognize what BP has clearly already realized: that drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not just bad for the climate and human rights, it’s bad business,” said Sierra Club Alaska Campaign Representative Alli Harvey. “The vast majority of the American public does not want to see the Arctic Refuge destroyed by drilling, and any company foolish enough to lease there will face enormous public backlash and reputational risk.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.