The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must correct legal errors with a regulation that allows oil and gas companies to harass Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears on the North Slope of Alaska.
Petition to Protect Lower Cook Inlet Wildlife
Our lawsuit to protect Alaska's threatened Polar Bears
Our joint response to recently announced Arctic oil and gas lease sales
Lower Cook Inlet lease sale: Our concerns for endangered beluga whales
The Cook Inlet beluga whale is a revered whale population that resides off the coast of Alaska’s largest city and along Alaska’s popular Kenai Peninsula. Its population has plummeted in recent decades from nearly 1,300 individuals in 1979 to only 279 in 2018, and despite its status as an endangered species, the population shows no signs of recovery and continues to decline at a rate of 2.3% per year.
Advocacy in Action: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lawsuit filed!
Alaska's response: Secretary of Interior approves drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
A broad coalition of Alaska organizations issued a statement committing to “stand in solidarity for the protection of the coastal plain which provides spiritual, cultural, recreational, and economic sustenance for Alaskans and many others around the world.” This commitment remains strong, and we will not allow the violation of the coastal plain.
Our coalition letter to Secretary Bernhardt - Suspend all public comment periods, policy decisions, and lease sales
AWA submits request for an extension on the public comment period regarding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program
On January 14, 2019, we joined several other conservation groups by signing a letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requesting that the public comment period deadline for the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) pertaining to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program be extended beyond the 45 days originally advertised (currently due by February 11, 2019), and that additional public hearings be held across the nation so that members of the public outside of Alaska who value this national treasure are also given an opportunity to have their voice heard.
