FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 8, 2010
Contact:
Lily Tuzroyluke, Native Village of Point Hope (907) 368-2330
Gwen Dobbs, Alaska Wilderness League (202) 266-0418
Nils Warnock, Audubon Alaska (907) 276-7034
Rebecca Noblin, Center for Biological Diversity (907) 274-1110
Erik Grafe, Earthjustice (907) 277-2540
Pam Miller, Northern Alaska Environmental Center (907) 452-5021
Carole Holley, Pacific Environment (907) 277-1029
Faith Gemmill, Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands (REDOIL)
(907) 750-0188
Dan Ritzman, Sierra Club (907) 276-4060
Anchorage - Earthjustice, on behalf of the Native Village of Point Hope, Alaska Wilderness League, Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, National Audubon Society, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Pacific Environment, REDOIL (Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands), and the Sierra Club filed a “friend of the court” brief in the State’s challenge.
The groups argue that the Secretary’s consideration of new information from the Deepwater Horizon before permitting exploration drilling in the Arctic Ocean is completely consistent with his duties under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The Secretary must consider this information—much of which is still coming to light—to fulfill his duty to ensure offshore drilling occurs in a safe manner that does not unduly harm the environment. In the Arctic, for example, there is widespread consensus that a spill even a fraction of the size of the Deepwater Horizon spill could not be cleaned up in the icy, remote, and often stormy region. Such an oil spill would have devastating impacts on endangered whales, threatened polar bears, seals, walruses, migratory birds and other species, as well as Alaska Native communities that rely on the bounty of the ocean. Questions about spill readiness and government oversight must be answered before exploration drilling that runs these risks is permitted.
“Before considering any drilling in the Arctic Ocean, the Secretary of the Interior must fully understand what happened in the Gulf of Mexico, fix the broken Minerals Management Service, gather science about the Arctic Ocean, and improve spill technology to the point where we can clean up spilled oil in icy water,” said Lily Tuzroyluke, Executive Director of the Native Village of Point Hope. “We are deeply disappointed that the Governor would risk our ocean and our way of life for quick drilling approvals. The Deepwater Horizon spill shows how rushed drilling approvals can destroy lives and livelihoods. But Governor Parnell is pushing the Secretary of the Interior to move quickly in the Arctic, even before he has fully investigated the Deepwater Horizon spill. We support the Secretary’s full investigation of the Deepwater Horizon spill before allowing any drilling in the Arctic Ocean, our garden.”
“The Governor has decided to ignore the Deepwater Horizon spill and push for business as usual in Alaska’s Arctic offshore, putting at risk the unique region’s people and wildlife,” said Earthjustice attorney Erik Grafe. “A cautious approach is the right one—the Secretary of the Interior must be certain that drilling can be done safely, that a large spill could be cleaned up in the remote and icy Arctic Ocean if it happened, and that the government is fulfilling its regulatory duties over industry in Alaska’s Arctic Ocean. We need to rely on sound science and a thorough understanding of the causes and consequences of the Deepwater Horizon spill before making decisions about Arctic Ocean drilling.”
“We believe that before any oil drilling occurs in these fragile waters all available scientific analysis must be considered, including a full consideration of the lessons from the Deepwater Horizon spill,” said Cindy Shogan, executive director of Alaska Wilderness League.
“In the Gulf, Audubon witnessed first-hand how unwilling the oil industry was to even acknowledge the possibility of a major disaster occurring and then how unprepared the industry was when the disaster actually occurred,” said Nils Warnock, executive director of Audubon Alaska. “The Government has a duty to ensure real protection before allowing a rush into drilling in the Arctic Ocean where the difficulties of dealing with a disaster are greater and the environmental risks are even higher.”
“Sarah Palin may be gone but the State of Alaska’s subservience to Big Oil continues uninterrupted,” said Rebecca Noblin, Alaska Director with Center for Biological Diversity. “The state is clearly unwilling to let wildlife protection, worker safety or common sense get in the way of oil industry profits.”
“Once again the State of Alaska shows its disregard for the people and the wildlife of the State, preferring to push for short-term economic gain over long-term sustainability of the unique cultures and ecosystems that comprise Alaska’s Arctic,” said Carole Holley, Alaska Program Co-Director with Pacific Environment. “We fully support efforts by Secretary Salazar and the Department of Interior to fulfill their obligations to the American people by performing a full scientific analysis of impacts of oil and gas drilling on fragile Arctic waters, evaluating lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon spill, and incorporating those lessons learned into any plans for the Arctic.”
“The Gulf ecosystem is not going to recover for many years, the livelihood of the people of the Gulf has been irreparably harmed, the risk of offshore pollution in the Arctic is unacceptable, and Indigenous cultures should not be sacrificed for irresponsible energy policies that only yield short term benefits,” said Faith Gemmill, Executive Director of Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands (REDOIL).
“The Governor’s position needlessly puts at risk the wildlife and people of Alaska’s Arctic and ignores the serious problems in government oversight of the offshore oil industry,” said Dan Ritzman, Alaska Program Director for the Sierra Club. “The oil industry is unable to clean up a large oil spill, as evidenced by the Deepwater Horizon spill. Rather than drilling in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding coasts to solve America’s energy problems, we must embrace responsible measures and real 21st Century sustainable energy solutions that make cars go farther, promote conservation, invest in clean, renewable energy, and protect our natural heritage.”
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