EDITOR: This is what I shared with Chad Padgett, State Director, Alaska Bureau of Land Management, in writing about my concern, and the concerns of my family, regarding the “call for nominations” for leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It is crucial that the ANWR, as one of the last great wilderness areas remaining in America, be saved from needless oil and gas drilling, and not just for the sake of preserving this jewel of Nature, but to respect and protect the rights of the Gwich’in people and the wildlife upon which they depend.
Every tract under consideration for leasing comprises sensitive, irreplaceable habitat; habitat that protects and feeds iconic tundra species including polar bears, caribou, and migratory birds. The indigenous Gwich’in people have been ignored by the Government in this process. This is not how America should work.
As a young man, before the era of environmental protection, I watched the once beautiful Cuyahoga River catch fire and burn – twice – due to unregulated oil and gas spills. It has happened, it will happen again, and drilling does not provide the much sought-after energy security to warrant the disaster.
I and my family urge the BLM to remove all 32 tracts considered for leasing in this proposal, and reaffirm their commitment to protecting ANWR. I want my children’s children to be able to appreciate this last, great American land, unspoiled.
— Patrick Hager of Aurora, via letters@SentinelColorado.com