Rally in President Obama’s Backyard to Save the Arctic Ocean

Today many DC residents got to see a rare sight--arctic animals walking the streets of the Capitol. Over a hundred activists joined the ranks with polar bears, a walrus, and even a sandpiper to send one message to the White House: do not drill in the Polar Bear Seas this summer!  Activists delivered over 1.1 million comments, letters, and petitions from across the country saying just that.  Thousands who could not be at the rally took part by calling the White House and delivering their own message to protect America's Arctic.  

Americans know all too well the dangers of offshore drilling.  The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico provides an ongoing illustration of the long-term impacts of a spill.  An event like that in the Polar Bear Seas off the northern coast of Alaska would be devastating.  An oil spill would harm the fragile wildlife in the ocean and onshore, impacting polar bears, endangered beluga whales, migratory birds that fly to the Arctic from all fifty states, and other wildlife.  The oil industry’s track record belies its assurances of safety. There is no proven way to clean up an oil spill in the extreme Arctic conditions--it's as simple as that.  With thick sea ice, darkness for months at a time, and a lack of infrastructure and people to support a clean-up effort, Shell Oil has no business drilling in the Arctic.  Now is the time to stop Shell's dirty drilling plan for this summer.  Call the White House and urge President Obama to protect America's Arctic!

See more photos from the rally here. 

 -- By Lindsey Hajduk