A new Arctic oil rush is starting. Big Oil wants to risk a devastating Arctic oil spill for only three years’ worth of oil. The same dirty energy companies that caused the Arctic to melt in the first place are now looking to profit from the disappearing ice. They want to open up a new oil frontier to get at a potential 90 billion barrels of oil. Previously classified government documents say dealing with oil spills in the freezing waters is almost impossible and inevitable mistakes would shatter the fragile Arctic environment. If we let them do this, a catastrophic oil spill is just a matter of time. We need a ban on oil drilling in Arctic waters. The fragile ecosystem of the Arctic is the treasure we must protect, not oil. Nothing is worth this risk.
Dean Leh, M.A., M.S.Ed., New Mexico