Remember the Exxon Valdez -- Take Action Now

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Remember the Exxon Valdez disaster, the nearly 11 million-gallon oil

spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, that coated seabirds, seals,

otters and more than 1,000 miles of shoreline with thick black crude?

It happened 20 years ago, on March 24, 1989.

By now we should have learned the lessons of that tragedy: that some

marine environments should be off limits to oil and gas development,

and that our nation's addiction to fossil fuels has serious

ramifications.

Sadly, the Bush administration didn't heed those lessons. Just

days before leaving office, they put forth a plan to open up to oil

and gas development as much as 300 million acres off our

nation's shores, including 134 million acres off the coast of

Alaska. Very little time was allotted for public comment on the plan.

Fortunately, President Obama's incoming secretary of the

interior recently announced that he will revise the plan, and extended

the public comment period by 180 days. In addition, he proposed using

renewable offshore energy, including wind, wave and tidal energy, to

substitute for some of the oil and gas drilling.

You can help ensure that the lessons of the Exxon Valdez aren't

forgotten: Urge the Obama administration to remove Alaska's

sensitive, wildlife-rich waters from the offshore energy plan.

http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=tR4uLUNxOYeYkahRJy-8QQ..

The Bush administration plan calls for greatly expanded oil and gas

leasing in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, off Alaska's northern

coast. These seas support an estimated one-fifth of the world's

polar bear population and provide habitat for walruses, whales and

hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. WWF is calling for a

time-out from drilling in this region until scientists can fully

assess the environmental impacts and designate habitat critical to

imperiled species.

Further south along the Alaska coast, the plan proposes expanding

leasing in Bristol Bay, which is critical habitat for endangered

whales and marine life and the heart of a $2 billion per year fishing

industry. WWF opposes all drilling in Bristol Bay. This ecological and

commercial treasure trove should be permanently protected from the

high risks of oil and gas development.

Speak out now for the polar bears, walruses, whales, seabirds, fish

and countless other marine creatures that should not be subjected to

the ravages of offshore drilling:

http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=dn_GOUuTvsbmV84LjMBFbQ..

Please forward this alert to your friends. With an outpouring of

support from WWF activists like you, we can provide a bright future

for the Arctic and ensure that a disaster like the

http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=5ssm11f3FBCLGt53VA2QcA..

Exxon Valdez doesn't happen again. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Margaret Williams

Managing Director

Bering Sea and Kamchatka Ecoregion Program

World Wildlife Fund

Please also oppose oil and gas lease sales in the Beaufort and Chukchi

seas. Seventy-three million acres were slated for leasing in an

earlier Bush administration plan. If the sales go through, oil rigs

could be in place within just a few years -- in polar bear, walrus and

whale habitat. The Obama administration is accepting comments until

March 30 on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the lease

sales. Take action now.

http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=FQKtAyzqKC8RO8wKiWUaLw..