Message-ID: <alpine.NEB.2.00.1005171514110.20740@panix3.panix.com>
From: Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>
To: Cyb <cybermind@listserv.aol.com>, Wryting-L <WRYTING-L@listserv.wvu.edu>,
Cyberculture <cyberculture@zacha.org>
Subject: Help Save America's Arctic from an Oil Spill Disaster (fwd)
Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 15:14:27 -0400 (EDT)
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 13:30:23 From: World Wildlife Fund <ecomments@wwfus.org> To: sondheim@panix.com Subject: Help Save America's Arctic from an Oil Spill Disaster Oil Spill Disaster in the Gulf - Is the Arctic Ocean Next? Stop Shell from Drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas Dear Alan, Right now, Americans are watching in horror as a slow-motion catastrophe unfolds in the Gulf of Mexico. Three weeks ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, tragically taking 11 lives and unleashing a potentially epic environmental and economic disaster. Based on the latest estimates, hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil have already spilled into the gulf. Scientists have discovered enormous plumes of oil traveling deep underwater, some as large as 10 miles long and 3 miles wide. Oil executives and government officials are scrambling to figure out how to contain the disaster and clean up the toxic mess it has created. Scientists fear that the gulf spill already rivals or surpasses the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska, the effects of which are still being felt today. This tragedy proves there is no such thing as safe offshore drilling. Yet in less than two months, Shell Oil plans to begin drilling new exploratory wells in the fragile and dangerous waters of the Arctic Ocean. Help WWF stop those plans from going forward by taking action today! http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=HXh7U8Eluop16LrGyNY3jw.. While President Obama has declared he is putting a hold on drilling in new areas in response to the gulf catastrophe, exploratory drilling may still move forward in the Arctic's Chukchi and Beaufort seas on several hundred offshore leases that were sold under the Bush administration. Drilling could begin in these areas as early as July. Tell President Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar to put an immediate halt to any drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=OxxPSUm2Sas4FFCrJ3stfQ.. The massive oil slick now fouling the gulf is likely to affect the coasts and economies of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida -- perhaps even reaching the Florida Keys and the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Serious damage is already taking place to the region's tourism and fishing industries, which are practically shut down. An estimated 400 wildlife species are in the path of the spill, including large flocks of nesting migratory birds and endangered sea turtles, manatees and whales. Imagine what would happen if this disaster had occured in the ice-filled Arctic waters off Alaska. The failure so far to control or clean up the spill in the Gulf of Mexico demonstrates that we simply can't risk a potential spill in the even more fragile and difficult Arctic environment. Extreme weather, moving ice, high winds and long stretches of darkness would make cleanup nearly impossible. What's more, a major spill in the Arctic would devastate an ecosystem home to some of our most unique and vulnerable wildlife, including America's only populations of polar bears and Pacific walrus. Tell President Obama and Secretary Salazar not to let Shell put America's Arctic at risk! http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=GSv5twm-aMj1viICDXjyJQ.. Urge the Obama Administration to halt all exploratory drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas until they clearly determine what caused the Deepwater Horizon disaster and put safeguards in place that will ensure that it never happens again. Thank you for all you do for conservation. Sincerely, William M. Eichbaum Vice President Marine and Arctic Policy World Wildlife Fund P.S. Please forward this alert to your friends and family. Thank you for your help. http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=RI31P0z3luVnO4qKhi-tQQ.. ******************************** Copyright ? 2010 | World Wildlife Fund | www.worldwildlife.org | 1250 24th Street NW | Washington, DC 20037-1193 Change your email address: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=9yBraUx-937pgaO6HkuyVg.. Update your contact information: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=IFdGqs-hs056YUEZs5LJWA.. Unsubscribe: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/CO?i=KV3SvfuAtXn_iYQL4y91Lvzmr0KsG3hW&cid=1261 Questions or comments? Contact us: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=KzRGDkmf7qnK6MMy3U9NFQ..