The Bristol Bay is home to endangered Northern Pacific right whales and Steller sea lions. It is also one of the worlds most productive fishing grounds, with and important snow crab fishery and the planets largest sockeye salmon run.
But President Bush has a different vision for this precious piece of the Pacific: he wants to turn it over to profit-rich Big Oil, lifting a moratorium that has been in place since the disastrous Exxon Valdez spill.
Now is not the time to open more wild lands to oil drilling. Its the time to protect the wildlife and fishing interests in this fragile region and invest in alternative energy sources that are well within our reach. Sign this petition to help prevent another Big Oil spill in Alaskas still recovering Bristol Bay.
I am writing to urge you to keep the moratorium on drilling in Alaska's Bristol Bay.
The Bristol Bay is home to the threatened Steller sea lion and critical habitat for the endangered Northern Pacific right whale -- a creature still recovering from centuries of whaling. It is also the world's largest sockeye salmon run and brings in $500 million annually in snow crab, cod, sole and other commercial fisheries.
After the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill, your father, President George H. W. Bush, wisely placed a moratorium on drilling in these waters. Lifting this moratorium -- as you seem to be planning -- would threaten wildlife in this precious part of the Pacific, including valuable fisheries vital to the economy.
The short-term gains brought by new leasing in these sensitive waters do not out-weigh the risk of long-term damage from any potential disaster that comes with oil drilling.
It is time to go beyond fossil fuels and reach for a cleaner, safer energy future, bolstered by alternative energy sources and greater energy efficiency.
Please do not lift the moratorium on oil exploration and drilling in one of our most precious and valuable places.
