arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Dear Friend,

Last fall, in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, I asked for your help in turning back repeated attempts by the Bush administration and pro-oil senators to rush through an energy bill that would have opened up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling under the pretext of national security. Hundreds of housands of us deluged the U.S. Senate with messages opposing this blatant attempt by the oil lobby to use our national tragedy as an opportunity to advance their own narrow interests. We succeeded because of our collective action.

Our voices were heard.

Your voices are needed once again. Please, take one minute to speak out at http://www.savebiogems.org/arctic/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=1123 on NRDC's BioGems website.

This week, the Senate begins debate on a far-reaching bill that will determine whether America's energy policies will save or destroy our natural heritage. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has introduced legislation that would protect the Arctic Refuge and reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil by making our cars and trucks more fuel efficient. But the Bush administration and a powerful pro-oil block of senators are pulling out all stops and continuing to aggressively push an energy plan that is patently not in the public interest, vowing to pass amendments that would open the Arctic Refuge to drilling and block new fuel-efficiency standards.

Because we possess a paltry 3 percent of the world's oil reserves but consume 25 percent of the world's oil supply, we can never drill our way to energy independence. If we raise the fuel-economy standards for new cars and light trucks to 40 miles per gallon over the next ten years, we could save 15 times more oil than the Arctic Refuge is likely to produce over the next half century. By the year 2012, fuel efficiency would be saving us nearly two million barrels of oil a day -- more than all the oil we imported from Saudi Arabia last year. As an added benefit, we'd be cutting millions of tons of global warming pollution and smog-forming air pollution.

Only the oil giants could argue that despoiling the Arctic Refuge makes more sense than this cheaper, cleaner, more self-reliant path of fuel efficiency. Don't let the U.S. Senate cave in to their pressure ! These will be the most important environmental votes your senators cast all year. Tell them to vote NO to Arctic drilling and YES to increased fuel efficiency.

Your voice is now more critical than ever. Go to http://www.savebiogems.org/arctic/takeaction.asp?step=2&item=1123 and send an email or fax to your senators. And if you want to do more to help our cause, please forward this message to as many people as you can. If we speak with one voice we can preserve our natural heritage AND make America more energy independent. We can make a tremendous difference in stopping this arrogant attack on our public lands. Raising fuel-efficiency standards will lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Drilling in the spectacular and pristine Arctic Refuge will not. The facts bear this out. It's that simple.

Sincerely yours,
Robert Redford

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BioGems: Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

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