Editor,
During the past month, few environmental issues have garnered as much attention as the fate of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Dozens of articles have outlined the Bush administration's interest in opening the refuge to oil and gas drilling. I find it incredibly disappointing that we cannot look to the White House to ensure the protection of this ecological wonder.
The Artic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the last pristine areas left in the United States. Caribou, musk oxen, wolves, polar bears and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds rely on the wilderness habitat that the refuge provides. The Gwich'in people, Alaskan natives who live near the refuge, depend on the caribou herds. For thousands of years, their culture and way of life have been intimately tied to the Porcupine River Caribou.
On Jan. 31, a broad coalition of environmental groups, including ecopledge.com, the Sierra Club, and state Public Interest Research Groups, announced the filing of an Artic National Wildlife Refuge shareholder resolution. The groups called on BP Amoco, one of the world's largest petroleum companies, and its shareholders to respect the wilderness values found in the Artic refuge and cancel plans to drill in the area.
To encourage BP Amoco to take this important step, I urge investors and college students to take marketplace action through ecopledge.com. In doing so, investors pledge their support for the Artic Refuge shareholder resolution and students pledge to turn down job opportunities with the company. It is time to move popular support for the artic refuge from the White House into the boardroom.
Soibhan Asgharzadeh
NMPIRG director
