Tag Archives: Arctic Ocean

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

TAKE ACTION: Protect Arctic Marine Mammals From Oil Exploratio​n


Take Action

 

We’ve almost reached our goal of 50,000 public comments but we need your help to get there before the June 27 deadline! 

After taking action, please share this with your friends:

 

Thank you again for taking action to protect northwest orcas from being delisted from the Endangered Species Act. The National Marine Fisheries Service is still reviewing public comments, including yours. We promise to keep you updated on the fate of southern resident orcas, but in the meantime, we wanted to let you know about an action that you can take to protect Arctic marine mammals, including beluga and bowhead whales, from oil exploration:
The Arctic’s marine mammals use sound for survival, but planned oil exploration activities could strip them of that ability.
Take action: Tell the National Marine Fisheries Service to say no to Arctic oil exploration that would harm marine wildlife!
Marine mammals—such as bearded and ringed seals, beluga whales, and the endangered bowhead whale—depend on sound to communicate, find food, and avoid prey. Oil exploration activities fill the ocean with loud noise that can interfere with these basic functions. Seismic surveying, for example, uses air-guns to detect oil beneath the sea-floor. The blasts—loud enough to cause deafness—occur day and night for months, and cover vast areas of the ocean.
The federal government is proposing moving forward with loud and risky oil exploration methods even though it has not completed an assessment of the cumulative impacts on Arctic marine mammals. Tell your government to take responsibility for protecting the marine mammals of the Arctic.
The remote Arctic Ocean and its wildlife are already under great stress from climate change. Why add the stress of oil exploration?
Tell the government not to permit any Arctic Ocean oil exploration until it completes a full analysis of the effects and understands how to mitigate the damage to marine mammals.
Sincerely,

Erik Grafe Staff Attorney, Alaska Office Earthjustice
P.S. We’ve almost reached our goal of 50,000 public comments but we need your help to get there before the June 27 deadline! After taking action, please share this with your friends:

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stand with the Arctic


Jun 28, 2012 by

The Inupiat people have relied on the bounty of the Arctic Ocean for thousands of years. The ocean is their garden. Today, they continue to live in harmony with polar bears, bowhead and beluga whales, seals, sea birds and walrus. But Shell‘s plans to drill for oil in the pristine Arctic Ocean threaten their way of life.

On Thursday evening, July 12, people across the country and across America‘s Arctic will gather in solidarity at Stand with the Arctic Vigils. Will you join us?

http://alaskawild.org/vigils

 

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stop Shell from drilling in the Arctic


Shell responded to our opposition around its plans to drill in the Arctic by filing for one of the broadest and most restrictive injunctions in US history against Greenpeace USA. It’s exactly the kind of anti-democratic reaction you would expect from a major oil company.

Regardless of what happens in court, Greenpeace is going to continue to oppose Shell’s plans. But we’ll only win if we have your support. Join 300,000 people from around the world and demand that Shell stop its plans to put the fragile Arctic at risk.

WWW.greenpeaceusa.org

~Dan

—————————————————————————————————–

 From: Dan Howells, Greenpeace webmaster@greenpeaceusa.org 

Subject: Save the Arctic

Right this minute a global fleet of Arctic destroyers is speeding towards one of the last unspoiled places on earth.

Shell plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean this summer.

Take action and demand Shell stop its plans to drill in the Arctic.

The ships are part of oil giant Shell’s mission to drill the very first wells in the pristine waters off the coast of Alaska. It’s insane, but melting sea ice from global warming has made it a reality. If Shell finds oil, the Arctic oil rush will be on.

It’s not over yet though. People are pushing back. In New Zealand, Greenpeace activists (including Xena Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless) occupied a drill ship and prevented it from leaving for the Arctic for several days. And just last week activists occupied two icebreakers in Finland.

But to stop Shell for good, we eventually need the public support of millions around the world. Carmen, that means you.

Join the 250,000 people from around the world who have already taken action and demand Shell stop its plans to put the fragile Arctic at risk.

WWW.greenpeaceusa.org

Widespread public opposition here in the US is going to be the key to stopping Shell. The US government is responsible for giving Shell the green light to drill. Greenpeace will be delivering these messages to the company soon. Our goal is to add the names of at least 40,000 Americans to that list before we do. Your message matters.

Shell isn’t prepared for a disaster in the Arctic Ocean. No one is. The Arctic Ocean makes the Gulf of Mexico look like a flat, calm lake. With constant high seas, icebergs and massive waves, there’s no way to effectively cleanup an oil spill in the Arctic Ocean. Even the head of the US Coast Guard has publicly admitted that his agency would have little chance of dealing with a spill in the frozen Arctic on their own. 

The plan Shell has submitted actually includes using things like shovels, brooms and a sniffer dog called “Tara” to cleanup a potential spill. It would be funny if there wasn’t so much at stake.

All Shell cares about is its corporate bottom line. Polar bears and unspoiled natural beauty are just obstacles to making ever greater profits. Together we can create a public obstacle Shell can’t overcome — but it’s going to take millions of us.

Add your voice to the growing list of people who will not stay quiet as one of the last wildernesses on earth is destroyed and help save the Arctic.

Sincerely,

Dan Howells
Greenpeace USA Deputy Campaign Director

P.S. Last year, Shell reported it had over 200 spills. It will only be a matter of time before a spill happens in the pristine polar bear habitat of the Arctic. Take action today and help save the Arctic before Shell ruins it forever.

WWW.greenpeaceusa.org

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

24 Hours to Stop Shell’s Arctic Drilling Plans


The Department of the Interior will be deciding the fate of America’s Arctic Ocean this summer and we have just 24 hours to help them make the right choice.

Shell Oil has put together the most aggressive drilling plan yet in the Arctic Ocean — beginning as soon as next summer and calling for ten exploratory wells. But they can’t start drilling until the current public comment period ends and Secretary Salazar approves their plan.

That’s why Greenpeace is joining with a coalition of groups to collect comments to Interior Secretary Salazar before the deadline.

Shell’s plans have already been put on hold once thanks to the actions of people like you. Now we need to do it again. Don’t wait, every comment counts…

http://www.greenpeaceusa.org 

We will be overnight shipping all of your comments to the Department of the Interior office in Anchorage, Alaska.

America’s Arctic Ocean is one of our nation’s greatest natural treasures — a vast, pristine place at the top of the world that polar bears, whales, walrus, seals and Alaska Native communities all call home.

One single oil spill could completely destroy this fragile ecosystem forever.

Shell’s plans for cleaning up a spill in a region characterized by extreme cold, extended periods of darkness, hurricane-strength storms and pervasive fog include glorified mops and buckets. It’s laughable. The simple truth is that the technology doesn’t exist to “clean” up an oil spill in the Arctic.

We need to learn from BP’s disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last year and not allow Shell to drill in the Arctic Ocean.  As of now the only plan they have is to drill first and ask questions later.

We don’t have much time

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Greenpeace


One year later and Congress has learned nothing.

Instead of making it harder for oil companies like Shell to drill in the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, the House of Representatives just voted to make it easier. If this legislation becomes law, the oil industry will be even less regulated now than it was a year ago before the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

And to make matters worse, Shell already gets millions in subsidies every year from the U.S. government. In fact, last year Shell paid effectively no taxes at all to the U.S. government. Congress is giving them more incentive to take unacceptable risks with our national treasures. It’s time to put a end to this dangerous game. We have a chance to do just that.

As soon as tomorrow, Congress will be voting on a bill that would cut billions of dollars worth of subsidies to oil companies like Shell. But the industry and their friends in Washington are currently doing everything they can to stop that from happening. That’s why you need to speak up and send a message to your members of Congress.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

Congress needs to hear your voice. Ask your members of Congress to put an end to government subsidies to the oil industry now.

Shell just submitted plans to drill up to ten new wells in Alaska’s Arctic Ocean over the next two years using the same faulty technology that BP uses in the Gulf. But Shell’s plans in the shallow waters of the Arctic are even more dangerous than BP’s are in the Gulf and run a higher risk of blowouts, according to government data.

Shell isn’t prepared for a disaster in the Arctic Ocean. No one is. It’s a known fact that there’s no way to effectively clean up an oil spill in the Arctic’s harsh conditions. All they care about is their corporate bottom line.

Congress should be fighting for you. It’s your money and it’s our land. The vote could be happening as soon as tomorrow. Contact your members of Congress today and ask them to put an end to government subsidies to the oil industry before it’s too late.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

Sincerely,

Melanie Duchin

Greenpeace Arctic Campaigner