Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 18:20:00 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Norm Saunders Subject: Fw: Senate vote likely on Arctic Refuge this week! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ----- Original Message ----- From: "Magnusson, Nancy C." Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 5:56 AM Subject: FW: Senate vote likely on Arctic Refuge this week! > The moment of truth has arrived for the Arctic National Wildlife > Refuge. The U.S. Senate is likely to vote as early as Thursday on an > amendment to open America's greatest sanctuary for Arctic animals to > oil development and sprawling industrialization. Even if you have sent > a message to your senators about this issue before, new developments > make it critical that you do so again right now by going to > http://www.savebiogems.org/arctic/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=1190 > > Our defense of the Arctic Refuge is hanging by a slender thread -- a > mere handful of senators who are likely but not certain to vote with > us. As the critical vote nears, the pro-oil lobby is resorting to > increasingly cynical schemes to lure these "swing" senators to their > side. Drilling proponents have offered to guarantee healthcare > benefits for unemployed steelworkers in return for opening the refuge > to oil development. They have offered to guarantee a supply of oil to > Israel. More eleventh-hour ploys are sure to follow today and > tomorrow. It is an insult to the American people to tie such issues to > the fate of the Arctic Refuge. Providing for steelworkers and > promoting peace in the Middle East should not depend on destroying our > greatest remaining wilderness. > > These attempts to cut backroom deals that will sell out the refuge are > especially repugnant because the Senate has already voted AGAINST an > amendment that would have improved fuel economy standards for cars and > light trucks. That single measure alone would have saved far more oil > than the Arctic Refuge could ever produce. But pro-oil senators would > rather sacrifice America's premier wildlife refuge so that oil giants > can sell even more oil that can then be wasted in the world's most > inefficient gas-guzzling vehicles. This is special-interest politics > at its absolute, public-be-damned worst. It can only be countered by > millions of pro-environment messages from people like you and me. > > Please do your part by contacting your two senators immediately. If > you want to have the greatest possible impact, then **pick up the > phone right now** and call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. > Speak to your senators' staff and ask them to tell your senators to > oppose any amendment that would allow oil exploration or development > in the Arctic Refuge. It will take you only about 3 minutes, but will > make a big impression. > > If you have less than 3 minutes or you're not within reach of a phone, > then go to > http://www.savebiogems.org/arctic/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=1190 > and send an electronic fax or email (and please take a few seconds to > personalize the sample message by adding your own thoughts about why > preserving the Arctic Refuge is important to you). > > However you choose to contact your senators, *please do it instantly.* > This may be our last, best chance to stop the oil giants from > plundering America's irreplaceable sanctuary for polar bears, white > wolves, and 130,000 caribou. > > And thank you, as always, for your continued support of NRDC. > > Sincerely, > > John H. Adams > President > Natural Resources Defense Council ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================