Senator Merkley calls for a stop to Arctic Ocean drilling

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), joined by Senators Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) today introduced the “Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015.” The bill would prohibit oil and gas leasing in the Arctic Ocean, including the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. This bill comes as Shell is just one federal permit away from drilling in the Chukchi Sea.  

Friends of the Earth Climate Campaigner Marissa Knodel issued the following response:

President Obama should take a lesson in climate leadership from Senator Merkley. The “Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act” is exactly what we need to avoid the worst impacts of climate disruption and to protect the people and wildlife that call the Arctic Ocean home. As the bill states, the Arctic Ocean should be managed in the best interests of the American people, which includes keeping fossil fuels in the ground. To best serve those interests and stay true to his climate legacy, President Obama must keep the Arctic Ocean off limits to Big Oil’s toxic greed. 

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Expert contact: Marissa Knodel, (202) 222-0724, [email protected]
Communications contact: Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]