EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO CALL Sen. Charles Grassley 202-224-3744 D.C. or
515-284-4890 Des Moines and Sen. Tom Harkin 202-224-3254 D.C or
515-284-4574 Ask them to please sponsor this bill. This will also
let them know Iowans care about saving this area. Phyllis
Arctic Refuge
Wilderness Bill to be Introduced in the Senate
In less than two weeks, Senator Lieberman (I-CT)
will introduce a bill in the U.S. Senate that would permanently protect the
Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as Wilderness. This
important legislation reflects similar legislation in the House of
Representatives, H.R. 39, introduced by Representatives Ed Markey (D-MA) and Jim
Ramstad (R-MN).
While similar bills have been introduced in the past,
Sen. Lieberman’s introduction of the Arctic Refuge Wilderness bill marks the
best opportunity in recent years to build momentum in the Senate towards
protecting our last great wilderness. In the last Congress, 23 senators joined
Sen. Lieberman in sponsoring the Arctic Wilderness legislation. This session,
there is a good chance of exceeding that number.
Please take
action and contact your senators. Urge them to cosponsor the Arctic Refuge
Wilderness bill and help permanently protect our country’s last great
wilderness.
Over the past year, the government has conducted
in-depth research on America’s two polar bear populations, bringing much needed
attention to the state of America’s Arctic. The United States Geological Survey
recently released nine more reports on polar bears, detailing new projections
about population size and habitat as a result of climate change. In light of
this new information, the government is accepting additional comments from the
public until October 22 about the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s
proposal to list the polar as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Please take
action and submit a comment.