The Arctic has won a reprieve from offshore oil drilling this year. Oil giant Shell just announced they won’t pursue offshore oil drilling in the fragile Arctic environment in 2011.
This one-year delay was a hard-fought victory for environmentalists.
On the heels of the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill, thousands of Greenpeace members wrote the federal government asking them to halt offshore oil drilling.
Greenpeace activists took action on one of the vessels Shell was planning to use in the Arctic. Others stood up at government hearings, calling on President Obama’s team to stop offshore drilling. And, last summer, the Greenpeace crew on Arctic Sunrise, documented and exposed the truth around the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, bringing important information to the government and the public.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to stand up with us to fight for the people and wildlife of the Arctic.
As you know, we have been persistent in urging President Obama and Secretary Salazar to deny Shell permission to drill in the Arctic. Shell acknowledged that the continued delays in the federal permitting process were the primary reason for canceling drilling in 2010.
But, before we celebrate too much, we have to make sure that Shell’s plans for offshore drilling in the Arctic are canceled, not just for one year, but permanently. And we won’t rest until the government bans ALL new offshore drilling. The stakes – and the risks – are just too high.
Take action and tell Secretary Salazar to ban all offshore drilling in Alaska’s Arctic waters for good.
