Published: February 16, 2008
Polar Bears Lose in Big Oil Auction
By Rodger Schlickeisen
While polar bear mothers and cubs were nestled in their dens, the Bush/Cheney Administration auctioned off key habitat for these struggling animals to Big Oil -despite the opposition of tens of thousands of activists like you.
Polar bears need all the help they can get. Please donate to support our Campaign to Save Polar Bears.
As a warming climate takes its toll on polar bear habitat, federal officials are selling off the very places these great white bears depend on for hunting, denning and survival.
America's polar bears will likely be extinct in fewer than 50 years, according to U.S. Geological Survey scientists. Yet federal officials have once again delayed action to protect these struggling animals as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
Instead, officials auctioned off millions of acres of vital habitat in Alaska's Chukchi Sea to Shell and other Big Oil companies earlier this month - and yet again, President Bush has included dangerous drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in his budget.
Help support our efforts to stop Big Oil from drilling in key polar bear habitat - please donate to support our Campaign to Save Polar Bears.
Increased drilling in these critical habitats could devastate America's polar bears. But ExxonMobil, Shell and other Big Oil companies continue to use their billions in profits to press for harmful drilling in the places polar bears need to survive - and continue our dependence on the fuels that spur rising temperatures that are causing the bears' demise.
Here's a hint of what our polar bears are up against: Royal Dutch Shell bid more than $105 billion for a single tract of drilling acreage in the Chukchi Sea. [1]
Our polar bears need allies if they are going to survive. Please donate now to help us fight to give our polar bears a fighting chance - and a lasting future.
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is doing all we can to protect our polar bears - right now, we're...
...working to prevent Arctic Refuge drilling language from entering the federal budget.
...working to pass the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act, a bill to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and continuing to battle efforts to open this special place to Big Oil's dirty rigs.
...working to pass the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act - already passed by the House of Representatives, this legislation is a vital first step to ensure that polar bears and other wildlife can cope with a changing climate.
...working to pass the Polar Bear Protection Act, legislation to stop wealthy U.S. trophy hunters from killing polar bears in Canada and returning with their quarry.
...working with Congressional staff to find sensible energy solutions to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, help combat global warming and protect our wildlife.
...holding our elected officials accountable for their actions on global warming and other wildlife-related issues.
Even in their final months in office, officials in the Bush/Cheney Administration have made their intentions crystal clear: they'll fight for Big Oil's profit - and leave our polar bears out in the cold.
Please donate today to support our Campaign to Save Polar Bears - and help these Arctic hunters survive.
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