Protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Energy
04/19/05

U.S. House
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative:

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is the political voice of the national environmental community. Each year, LCV publishes the National Environmental Scorecard, which details the voting records of Members of Congress on environmental legislation. The Scorecard is distributed to LCV members, concerned voters nationwide, and the press.

The House Energy bill will harm the environment, threaten public health, and keep us dependent on foreign fossil fuels.  A top concern is that a title within the Energy Policy Act of 2005 would open the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration, development, and production.  When this legislation reaches the House floor, we urge you to support the Ed Markey (D-MA)-Nancy Johnson (R-CT) amendment to protect the Arctic Refuge by striking the title from the bill.

Protecting the Arctic Refuge is among the highest priorities for the national environmental community.  This incomparable wilderness is home to polar bears, grizzlies, and millions of migratory birds, and is where the 130,000-member Porcupine caribou herd gives birth each year.  It also helps sustain the subsistence culture of 7,000 Gwich’in people.

Aside from the devastating impact that drilling would have on the Arctic Refuge, it won’t solve our energy problems.  According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Refuge contains far less oil than the U.S. consumes in a single year.  And there is widespread agreement that any oil that is found in the Arctic Refuge would not reach the market for 10 years.  

While proponents of drilling in the Arctic Refuge may argue that development would occur in an environmentally sensitive way, the bill does not support these claims.  On the contrary, this title exempts a large part of the oil and gas leasing program from the National Environmental Policy Act.  Moreover, the so-called “2,000 acre limitation” on development is misleading and disingenuous; the result of drilling would be a sprawling industrial complex of drilling sites spread throughout 1.5 million acres of critical wildlife habitat, as well as hundreds of miles of pipelines and roads, airstrips, power lines, and pumping stations.  

We urge you to vote YES on the Markey-Johnson amendment to protect the Arctic Refuge.  LCV has scored and double-scored votes on this issue on numerous occasions in the last two decades, including two votes that occurred during the 2003 House debate on energy legislation.  The Political Advisory Committee will strongly consider including this vote in compiling LCV’s 2005 Scorecard.  If you need more information, please call Betsy Loyless or Tiernan Sittenfeld at my office at (202) 785-8683. 

Sincerely,

Deb Callahan
President, LCV