告诉参议院恢复对北极国家野生动物保护区的保护
每年春天和夏天，在阿拉斯加的美国北极国家野生动物保护区的沿海平原上，都会发生世界上最壮观的野生动物迁徙. 每年大约有20万只驯鹿迁徙数百英里在那里产仔. Millions of migratory birds flock there to nest. Polar bears 和 cubs den on the coastal plain over the winter. 和, due to this abundance of wildlife, 几千年来，当地的哥威奇人一直依靠这种生物珍宝生存, with a culture centered around the caribou herd.
An irresponsible drive to drill in one of the last wild places
保护区的沿海平原被描述为保护区的“生物心脏”和“美国的塞伦盖蒂”,” due to the dizzying array of wildlife living 和 migrating there. From millions of migratory birds traveling from all 50个州 和 six continents, to the more than 200,000-strong Porcupine caribou herd (named after the Porcupine River), to polar bears, 狼, muskoxen, arctic foxes, 狼獾, brown bears, golden eagles, tundra swans 和 snowy owls, the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is vital habitat for dozens of species.
看着驯鹿在苔原上移动是一种难以抗拒的体验. Author Terry Tempest Williams recounts in Orion Magazine watching the caribou on her trip to the refuge. 头，鹿角，背，尾巴，腿，蹄子，这两只驯鹿融合在一起... it is an endless stream of animals walking across the tundra.”
肯·马德森
北极保护区有一种无法取代的特质——野性和活力，既古老又永远新鲜. It has old stillness 和 new life. In "Arctic Refuge: A Circle of Testimony,作者斯蒂芬·特林布尔雄辩地论证了为什么北极保护区应该被允许实现伟大的野心 The Wilderness Act of 1964. "Our bargain is this: we leave the Refuge alone, we leave the Porcupine Caribou to their calving, the Beaufort Sea polar bears to their denning. We protect this place. 和, in turn, we lead lives less impoverished. We fall asleep knowing wilderness has a shelter, 至少有一个地方保留了祖先丰富的生命."
The Arctic Refuge coastal plain may well be “America’s Serengeti,“但它也可能位于地下石油储藏库的顶部(然后再次), 它可能不). 可悲的是, 我们的社会对石油的贪婪，危及了整个广阔的荒野景观和依赖石油的巨大野生动物网络.
Viktor Loki via Shutterstock.com
Irrational 和 pointless
With today’s clean energy advancements, the idea of threatening polar bears, caribou 和 the native Gwich’in people that depend on the caribou, 无数的其他物种把这个保护区称为更多石油的家园，感觉既过时又有勇无谋.
We live in a time of unprecedented expansion of clean energy. The clean energy revolution is already in full swing, 在过去的五年里，我们的国家发电能力每年都有最大的增长 coming from wind 和 solar. Combine that with the breakthroughs in battery technology 和 electric cars, 很明显，我们推动经济发展的方式将继续逐年减少对化石燃料的依赖.
有些地方，比如北极国家野生动物保护区，因为太特殊而不能被破坏, 和 should be left in their natural 原始的 state. Against the backdrop of exp和ing clean energy technologies, 在这个野生动物保护区进行石油勘探和钻探变得非理性和无意义.
The current threat to the Arctic Refuge
Environment America acts as a watchdog in Washington, D.C.，密切关注任何威胁美国人喜爱的特殊地区的立法或政策. 目前，我们的公共土地团队正积极参与一个广泛的联盟，致力于保护北极国家野生动物保护区.
In 2015, President Obama declared the Arctic Refuge “an incredible place, 原始的, undisturbed, [supporting] caribou, 和 polar bears, all manner of marine life, countless species of birds 和 fish, 和 for centuries has supported many Alaska native communities,” 和 for the first time made it the official position 内政部将沿海平原当作荒野来管理, 和 to ask Congress to designate it as such.
In December of 2017, Congress passed 和 President Trump signed a massive overhaul of our nation’s tax code. Tucked into the bill was a 条款要求内政部提供至少两份在北极保护区沿海平原进行石油和天然气开发的租赁销售. This reversed decades of protection. 2021年1月，进行了第一次租赁销售，并批出了9块土地的租约.
On January 20, 2021年，拜登总统发布临时禁令，暂停在避难所的所有租赁活动. 租约持有人仍然持有租约，但目前不会签发额外的许可证.
If allowed to move forward, drilling would be devastating. 重型地震设备会在未来几十年里破坏地表，甚至在钻探开始之前就可能摧毁极地洞穴. 钻探本身伴随着更多的设备和重型车辆在冻土带上拖来拖去，还有穿越裂冰地的管道.
How can we protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
How can we protect this amazing place before it’s too late?
现在: 美国环境协会加入了哥威奇指导委员会和其他环保组织 to file a lawsuit 反对特朗普政府阻止在北极保护区开采石油和天然气. 这起诉讼仍在进行中，有利的裁决可能会阻止目前的租赁继续进行.
国会必须通过，总统必须签署一项新的税收法案，取消2017年通过的租赁销售要求.
IN THE MONTHS TO COME: 我们正在呼吁国会将北极国家野生动物保护区的沿海平原指定为荒野地区, putting it off limits to drilling forever. To make that happen, 我们需要赢得足够多的人的支持，因为有一些地方太壮观和特别了，不能为了石油而毁灭.
Florian Schulz
A place of enduring beauty
We, along with millions of other Americans, believe the enduring beauty, 像北极保护区这样的地方的历史和文化价值远远超过我们能从那里开采的任何石油或天然气的短期价值. 目光短浅的定义就是把事情反过来看. 保护像美国北极国家野生动物保护区这样的特殊地区需要我们果断而大胆地采取行动.
我们的成功还取决于获得超越党派分歧的支持. Fortunately, this is a cause that can unite hunters 和 hikers, anglers 和 bird-watchers, native tribes 和 small businesses, 和 academics 和 faith leaders.