Tell Shell: Stay Out of the Arctic!
Shell's attempt to drill offshore in the Arctic last year was a miserable failure. The company's string of mishaps and blunders came to a head on New Year's Eve, when the company lost control of an enormous drill rig that ran aground. Yet despite this shocking record, the Obama Administration appears willing to give Shell a green light to drill in the Polar Bear Seas -- home to more than half our nation's polar bears as well as vital habitat for endangered whales, Pacific walrus and millions of migratory birds. And while Shell recently conceded that it won't be drilling there this summer, the oil giant has reaffirmed its commitment to drilling there in the future.
Shell must abandon this folly once and for all -- before true disaster strikes. A massive blowout in this pristine environment could poison one of the earth's most fragile ecosystems for decades to come. Sign the petition today and tell Shell to give up its plans to drill in the Polar Bear Seas -- for good.
To: Royal Dutch Shell
I was pleased to learn that you have suspended offshore Arctic drilling operations for the upcoming summer. But your renewed commitment to one day drill offshore in the Arctic is unacceptable. Your recent string of mishaps and failures has shown it's a myth that oil companies can drill safely in the Beaufort and Chukchi, the two Polar Bear Seas. If such drilling were allowed to happen, sooner or later harsh conditions, extreme remoteness, unpredictable ice and human error would produce a major marine and coastal catastrophe. No amount of delay, further study or technological fixes will change that fact.
Moreover, neither Shell nor any other oil company has a proven method for cleaning up a major oil spill in the Arctic's treacherous, ice-filled waters. A blowout could be catastrophic, poisoning polar bears, endangered bowhead whales and thousands of migratory birds. I do not want Shell to take such a high-stakes gamble with one of America's last and greatest wild places. Please end this folly once and for all, before the next accident leads to a true disaster.
