Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- This afternoon a crowd will rally in Washington, DC to condemn the Trump administration’s shameful plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling.
In April, Ryan Zinke’s Department of the Interior launched the process to hold a lease sale for drilling in the Refuge. The sale will target the coastal plain, the biological heart of the Arctic Refuge and home to lands and wildlife vital for the subsistence way of life of the Gwich’in Nation.
In recent weeks, Alaskans have showed up in force at public hearings across the state to express their opposition to drilling in the Refuge. Today’s hearing in Washington, DC is the only public hearing to be held in the Lower 48.
The American public is overwhelmingly opposed to drilling in the Arctic Refuge. And some of the world’s most significant investors agree. In May, a group of institutional investors representing more than $2.5 trillion in assets sent a letter to oil companies and banks urging them to not to invest in Arctic drilling due to significant financial and reputational risk.
“Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would exacerbate climate change, destroy one of the world’s last truly wild places, and violate the human rights of the Gwich’in people,” said Lena Moffitt, Senior Director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign. “We are rallying today to send a message to Donald Trump and Ryan Zinke that we stand with the Gwich’in in defending the Arctic Refuge and, joined by a diverse and powerful coalition, we will continue to fight to ensure that drilling rigs never enter the borders of this rare natural wonder.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, 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.