ACTION ALERT: ATTENTION ANCHORAGE AREA FRIENDS OF ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Take time on Tuesday, February 11th to tell the Bureau of Land Management why the rushed and irredeemably flawed oil and gas leasing process needs to be stopped in its tracks!
The Bureau of Land Management will hold an OPEN HOUSE from 1 pm to 7 pm on Feb 11th at the Dena’ina Center, 600 W. 7th Ave. with information boards and subject matter experts available to provide information and answer questions one-on-one.
At 2 pm and 5 pm BLM will give a PRESENTATION providing an overview of the DEIS. Beginning at 1 pm, individuals wishing to provide PUBLIC TESTIMONY, may do so, with breaks occurring at 2pm and 5pm for the BLM presentation. The microphone will be available on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVE basis. A court reporter will be available to capture these comments. There will also be a court reporter available if individuals wish to provide their testimony ONE-ON-ONE throughout the public meeting period. Comment stations with computers will also be available if attendees would like to submit comments ELECTRONICALLY.
If you are unable to attend, you can submit comments on proposed Arctic Refuge leasing alternatives presented by the BLM at blm.gov/alaska, or by mail to Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program EIS, 222 W. Seventh Ave., Stop #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513. The deadline for comments was recently extended to March 13th.
YOUR COMMENTS
Be prepared to tell the BLM WHY the lease sale process needs to be stopped. Your comments might include:
- Your assessment of the value of the Refuge, including its importance as one of America’s last wild places.
- Your concerns regarding the leasing process. You might include:
- The Administration’s failed promise to Americans that the permitting would include a robust, scientifically sound review process with public comment and full tribal consultation.
- The BLM’s disregard for the serious biological, cultural, and climate impacts fossil fuel extraction will have in the rapidly-warming Arctic.
- The DEIS’s unacceptable deficiencies in current information about the impacts of oil and gas on the Refuge’s irreplaceable ecosystem, wildlife, and the people who depend on those resources
- Your specific concerns regarding species, ecosystem functions, the potential contributions of greenhouse gases to global climate change, etc.
The Bureau of Land Management’s website includes additional information on the leasing program, including the EIS.
Photo Credit: Peter Mather/Minden Pictures, via Getty