November 16, 2006
Big Oil is at it again
BY: maureen
The Bush Administration, through the Minerals Management Service (MMS), is proposing to sell oil and gas leases between 2007 and 2012 in the Arctic and off the coast of Virginia.
America’s Arctic oceans, are home to native subsistence communities, endangered whales, polar bears, walrus, endangered birds, and some of our nation’s most important fisheries, including the world’s largest salmon run in Bristol Bay. A catastrophic oil spill in America’s Arctic oceans is extremely likely, considering the time period it would take to extract the petroleum resources. And the oil companies have even admitted they would not be able to clean up an oil spill in the icy conditions of the Arctic Ocean.
MMS is also pushing to sell oil and gas leases off the coast of Virginia. The majority of law makers along the Atlantic coast are against this unnecessary expansion of oil and gas development, because it puts their shores at risk.
The best part of all? The MMS is not accepting email comments on the issue. But fret not! For we’ve created an online petition.