Keep Big Oil Out of the Arctic Refuge

Today's high gasoline prices are the result of economic conditions, which include the weak dollar, increased energy speculation, the war in Iraq, and the rising energy consumption in China and India.

Read Drilling Wilderness Won't Bring Cheap Gas.

Preying on consumer fears jolted by high pump prices, the White House and the oil and gas industry continue to call for drilling on public lands, falsely claiming that doing so will reduce gas prices. In fact, since the Bush administration took office, it has pushed an industry-backed agenda to give Big Oil priority use of public lands.

With gas prices sky-high, Big Oil is trying to link drilling in the Refuge to lower gas prices. There is no such connection. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would not produce oil for years, and would have no effect on the price of gas within the next few years, and little effect in a decade.

There already are 44.5 million acres of public lands in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico under lease for oil and natural gas development. Most of these have not been used by the oil and gas industry.

Please join me in telling Congress to keep the Arctic Refuge safe. Please take action today by visiting The Wilderness Society to send emails to your representatives. Please help save this refuge for our grandchildren. Spread the word.

Tags: drilling in arctic, take action, big oil wants refuge, stop Bush, idle leases