For Immediate Release
April 16, 2002

Contact:
David Willett, 202-675-6698


          Statement of Carl Pope Executive Director, Sierra Club
   on Introduction of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Drilling Amendment


Senator Murkowski and his industry allies can try spinning their plan to
drill the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge any way they want, but the truth
is that drilling the Refuge won't reduce America's oil dependence.  It
will, however, forever destroy a pristine national treasure and the
wildlife that depend on it.

Senator Murkowski's amendment is a desperate attempt to disguise a bad
drilling proposal.  The facts aren't on his side and neither are the votes.
We urge Senators to reject this charade.

Senator Murkowski's amendment would allow for the entire 1.5 million acre
coastal plain to be opened for oil exploration and development.  The
Senator has tacked on several misleading provisions in an attempt to win
votes or soften criticism of the proposal.  But these provisions, like all
of the previous schemes to garner support, ignore the truth that drilling
in the Arctic Refuge does nothing to reduce our dependence on oil.


Government estimates indicate that there is less than a six month supply of
oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and even the oil industry admits
it would take ten years to make it to US markets.

Drilling proponents make a disingenuous claim that only a 2000-acre area
will be affected. Oil drilling and production will not be concentrated in
one area and if development were to occur, thousands of miles of pipelines
and roads, gravel drilling pads and waste pits would sprawl across the
entire 1.5 million acre coastal plain.

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national
treasure--home to polar bears, wolves, and countless migratory birds. The
coastal plain is also the birthing grounds for the 129,000-member Porcupine
River caribou herd and it is sacred land to the Gwich'in Indians, a native
people whose traditional lifestyle depends on the caribou.

                                    ###



Erin Jordahl
Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
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