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Maine Chapter - Sierra Club
April 12, 2005
Volume 3  No. 8

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Ask Senator Susan Collins to vote AGAINST the final budget

if drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is included

Dear Friend --  

On March 16^th, the U.S. Senate voted by a 51-49 margin, taking the first step toward drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as part of the Federal Budget.

But the fight to save the Arctic Refuge is not over. 

THE ISSUE

In the coming weeks, the final budget comes up for vote in the Senate.  Our Senator, Susan Collins, is a longtime defender of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  She will cast a key vote on the final budget that will determine whether the Arctic Refuge remains conserved for its wilderness values or exploited for oil drilling. 

Please ask Senator Collins to vote AGAINST the final budget if it includes any measures that allow for drilling in the Arctic Refuge:

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Senator Susan Collins

Telephone # (202) 224-2523

Fax # (202) 224-2693

Visit Senator Collins’ website to send an e-mail at:

http://collins.senate.gov/low/contactemail.htm

TALKING POINTS WHEN CONTACTING THE SENATOR:

à  Thank you for your opposition to oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  As your constituent, I urge you to vote against ANY final budget that would allow oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge in the future. The inclusion of any such measure in the budget is an unacceptable sneak attack on our precious wildlife and wild lands.  Places like Georges Bank off of Maine’s coast could be next in line for oil drilling.

à  As you know, drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not a path to energy independence or lower prices at the pump. We need to save national treasures like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations.

à  Thank you again for voting to protect the Arctic Refuge in the past. Please keep it up by rejecting the final budget if it includes Arctic drilling.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would ruin one of America’s last unspoiled wild places for what government experts at U.S. Geological Survey say is only a few months’ worth of oil that even oil companies concede would not be available for a decade.

Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would not put a dent in our dependence on foreign oil, would do nothing to strengthen our national security, and would not save consumers a dime at the pump. But the harm to wildlife and this spectacular wilderness would be permanent and irreparable.

Americans deserve a cheaper, quicker, safer and cleaner energy policy that safeguards the wild places we care so deeply about. We cannot drill our way to energy independence, but we can embrace responsible measures and real, 21^st Century energy solutions that make cars go farther on a gallon of gas, promote conservation, invest in clean renewable energy, and protect our natural heritage.

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact the Maine Chapter Office.

Sierra Club - Maine Chapter
1 Pleasant Street
Portland, Maine 04101
Phone: (207) 761-5616
Fax: (207) 773-6690
Email: maine.chapter@sierraclub.org
Web: http://maine.sierraclub.org/