May 4, 2010
To the editor:
The catastrophic oil spill, now impacting wildlife, wetlands and livelihoods from Texas to Florida, exposes the risk oil and gas drilling pose to our natural treasures. The contamination of beaches and habitat will last for generations.
The Gulf of Mexico drilling disaster occurred in warm, calm, waters with every resource nearby, not the icy, turbulent waters of the Beaufort Sea off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where there is neither the technology nor resources to clean up a spill. The Arctic refuge is one of America’s last spectacular wildernesses, with wild rivers, jagged mountains, sweeping tundra landscapes, boreal forests, coastal lagoons and barrier islands. It is unique because it has a wide range of arctic and subarctic ecosystems that are completely undisturbed.
The Arctic refuge was established to protect wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities and subsistence and wilderness values. For centuries, the Gwich’in people of Alaska have depended on the Porcupine caribou that calve on the coastal plain for their economic and cultural needs. Only the coastal plain of the Arctic refuge, critical habitat for more than 200 species, and millions of migrating birds, is not protected from oil development.
I’ve backpacked in Alaska for more than 25 years, and my most profound wilderness experience was looking onto the coastal plain and out to waters of the Arctic Ocean. I walked where polar bears den and saw thousands of caribou pouring over passes on their way to the coastal plain, and I was deeply moved.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is developing a revised comprehensive conservation plan and environmental impact statement for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Complete information is at arctic.fws.gov/ccp.htm. Comments from the public are being accepted until June 7.
This is an opportunity to ask that the CCP and EIS include a full wilderness review for all non-designated refuge lands, including the entire coastal plain, known as the 1002 area, and recommend to Congress their inclusion into the national wilderness preservation system. This would ensure the wildlife, wilderness, recreational opportunities and subsistence values of the entire Arctic refuge are protected for future generations.
I dread the thought of another major oil spill happening here. We really need to have all safety measures put into place, with no expense spared, to ensure the safety and protection of our waters and wildlife. You nailed it when you said that if they are unable to contain or prevent a spill in a warm coastal region, then how on earth will they protect our waters! They won't. A spill like this will wipe out critical habitat and kill thousands of sea animals and destroy their future population for years to come. I know it's hard to except or hear, but we really need to come up with greener vehicles and greener resources so that we're not so dependent on oil for everything. There is good money in oil and it's good for the economy, but until we can come up with safer solutions, we cannot compromise the environment at such catastrophic levels.
We're not visiting. This isn't a cool backpacking trip. This is our home. You run your home and don't worry about how we run ours.
Regarding your stance on drilling. Why not drill where the oil exists? And conform wilderness areas outside of prospective hydrocarbon or metallic rocks? Historically, the unfortunate effect is that oil or minerals are discovered and then legislation is effected to prevent the beneficiation of the needed commodity. It's not a problem on the ground, it's a problem in our minds and in our legislators.
if ya don't want to drill here then GO HOME!! california has alott of trees that need a hugg!
you sound a lot greener than most alaskans, including me. in case you haven't noticed, a lot of patrons of this site do not exactly share those feelings, however. have you seen the vehicular modes of transportation used by a large percentage of fairbanks residents?
and yes, you're right that alaska is a big state. there is lots of room for resource development (i'm associated with gold mining in the summer) and it's a big part of the economy. however, for that very reason, i don't see a need to drill in protected lands. let them be. let's look elsewhere for oil. there is still much to be drilled.
http://yahoo.com/s/ap/20100506/ap_on_us/us_ground_zero_mosque
While you're out hiking and enjoying the great Alaskan outdoors, along with most of we Alaskans, do you think that maybe we could do just a little resource development in tiny little portions of "our" state? I mean after all, Alaska is a pretty big place. There might be room for both.
By the way, contrary to your opinion, we don't all burn buckets of oil in the winter months, I heat with LNG. I don't drive my personal vehicles more than 3000 miles per year, and 20% of that is with an 80 mpg scooter. I use cloth bags, don't subscribe to the hard copy newspaper, and am weaning off of paper magazines and books with an e-book. I avoid products sold in hard plastic. I expect that my carbon footprint is smaller than most, including yours. I do this of my own volition. But still, I recognize that oil is the lubricant of a vital, modern society for the time being, and the price of every single purchase that we make is tied to it, as is our national security. Regardless of how the tragedy plays out in the Gulf, we will still use oil and will be better off drilling here than supporting foreign regimes.
I think most of us are with you on that, akwrench.
Let me just add the same caveat I add to the use of outdoor wood boilers: Just don't do it like a douchebag and everything will be fine.
And how do we "get read of" something?
i'm am born and raised alaskan and i enjoy hiking and backpacking in alaska too. there. an alaskan enjoys it as well, not some "lower 48 greenie." is everyone convinced it's ok to enjoy the outdoors yet?
how much oil do we burn just living in alaska? we probably burn as much oil in a winter heating our homes as several trips to alaska from iowa burns. plus we all have to fly to the states to visit relatives. come on, no one's going to drive to seattle to visit auntie shirley and uncle charlie at christmas. are we hypocrites for not wanting to drill in the arctic? no. we need oil, we consume oil, but we shouldn't promote ravaging our own backyard to get it. unless of course you don't give 2 damns about the wilderness, and then that's a whole different story
let's not let our "outsider bias" get in the way of a reasoned argument. embarrassing.