Washington State - Cascade Chapter

South King County Group

Three highly significant areas of the Alaskan Arctic (the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, and Teshekpuk Lake) are imminently threatened by efforts to open them to oil and gas exploration and development.  While the issue surrounding the Arctic Refuge have been ongoing and much in the news for decades, the current push to open areas on the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPRA) poses an even greater present threat to especially important wildlife areas there.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain

Under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA,) the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was left in limbo, neither protected as Wilderness nor open for drilling.  Either action will require proactive steps by Congress.  The coastal plain is the biological heart of the Refuge, serving as the critical calving ground for the Porcupine Caribou herd which is sacred to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as being the most important onshore denning area for polar bears in Alaska.  Bills have been introduced in both houses of Congress – H.R 39 (House) and S. 2316 (Senate) which would grant permanent protection to the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.  Both Senators Cantwell and Murray have cosponsored the Senate bill, and Representatives Inslee, Baird, McDermott, and Reichert have all cosponsored H.R. 39. 

Beaufort and Chukchi Seas

A bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Kerry (S. 2568) and a similar measure is expected to be introduced very soon in the House of Representatives to address threats posed by recent leasing in a very large swath of these seas.  Both Senators Cantwell and Murray are cosponsors of the Senate bill.  Both bills would essentially call for a “time out” on oil exploration and development activities in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, thereby providing time for essential research regarding their ecosystems and the wildlife at stake before any further oil activity occurs there.  These seas hold invaluable populations of walrus, whales, and the only polar bears in American territory, and provide critical subsistence resources for the native peoples of the area.  The Bush Administration recently auctioned off large tracts within the Chukchi Sea to Shell and other multinational oil companies.

Teshekpuk Lake

Lying in the western Arctic, Teshekpuk Lake and its associated habitats have been recognized for decades as warranting protection.  The area provides critical breeding and molting habitats for numerous bird species, many of which grace Washington State at one time or another each year.  If this area is opened to oil exploration and development, many species we see in Washington State, such as ducks, geese, loons, and shorebirds will likely be negatively impacted.  The Bush Administration may soon lift the protections for this special area in favor of oil and gas development.

What you can do

The only thing standing between these areas being opened to the oil and gas industry is a knowledgeable and vociferous public.  It is vital that our elected officials know the American people want these environmentally special areas protected.  Two effective ways to express this are via letters to your Congressional Representative and Senators, and by writing letters to the editor of your local news papers.

If your representative has co-sponsored H.R. 39 (see previous page), write a letter thanking them for doing so and requesting they support bills which will permanently protect Teshekpuk Lake and the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.  If your member of Congress has not cosponsored H.R. 39, ask them to do so and to also support protecting the lake and seas.

As both Washington Senators Murray and Cantwell have cosponsored S.2316 to protect the Arctic Refuge and also S. 2568 regarding the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, thank them for doing so and request they also support future legislation to protect Teshekpuk Lake.

Regarding all of this, describe in your own words why protection for these areas is important to you, and use supporting information to back up your concerns.

Additional Information 

For more information and to stay current on these issues, visit the Alaska Wilderness League website.