Obama鈥檚 Proposed Offshore Drilling Plan Falls Short in Protecting Arctic Ocean
While Atlantic Coast Spared New Oil & Gas Leases, Parts of Arctic Coast Still Up for Grabs
Today, the Obama administration of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The plan would allow new oil and gas leasing in the Arctic while restricting them in the Atlantic.
鈥淥pening new areas for drilling in the Arctic Ocean is not only risky, it鈥檚 unnecessary,鈥 said 爆料公社 President and CEO David Yarnold (). 鈥淲e need to focus on other sources of energy that don鈥檛 put people, birds and other wildlife in danger. Spills under ice sheets are uncontrollable and the ability to respond to emergencies is pitifully inadequate.鈥
鈥淚n their joint statement last week, President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau pledged to protect 10% of Arctic marine areas, and we applaud that pledge,鈥 said Susan Culliney, 鈥檚 Policy Associate. 鈥淲e need the president to follow through and preserve the opportunity to come back and protect key areas of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas with high ecological value. Places like the Beaufort Sea Nearshore Important Bird Area, which holds significant numbers of King Eiders, Red-throated Loons, and Pacific Black Brant, as well as nearly 30 percent of North America鈥檚 Long-tailed Ducks. A major spill in the Arctic Ocean would make responding to the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster look easy.鈥
The Arctic Ocean supports thousands upon thousands of birds as well as bowhead whales, polar bears, and walrus, and other marine mammals. Drilling in the Arctic Ocean puts all this, and the communities that depend on this landscape, at risk. The Barrow Canyon Complex, which straddles both the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, is the location of the globally significant Barrow Canyon and Smith Bay Important Bird Area, used by nearly a quarter of North America鈥檚 Long-tailed Ducks and King Eiders. The nearshore Chukchi corridor, stretching about 50 miles into the ocean from the coast, is the site of one of the largest marine mammal migrations in the world and crucial for many birds that migrate to the North Slope. This area includes globally Important Bird Areas for species such as Yellow-billed Loon, Spectacled Eider, and Pacific Black Brant.
Over the coming weeks, there will be hearings on the revised 5-Year Plan draft around the country, offering the public a chance to testify on the proposal. The final plan鈥攅xpected by December 2016鈥攑resents another opportunity for the Obama administration to live up to its promise to protect our Arctic coasts and communities.
For maps and information on birds, wildlife, sea ice, and human uses, see 爆料公社 Alaska鈥檚 .
About the 爆料公社
The 爆料公社 saves birds and their habitats throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. 爆料公社's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, 爆料公社's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. 爆料公社 is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at and .
About 爆料公社 Alaska
Our mission is to conserve the spectacular natural ecosystems of the Great Land, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations. We use science to identify conservation priorities and support conservation actions and policies, with an emphasis on public lands and waters.
###
Contact:
Nicolas Gonzalez, 爆料公社, ngonzalez@audubon.org, (212) 979-3068.
Beth Peluso, 爆料公社 Alaska, bpeluso@audubon.org, (907) 276-7034.