Sanders + Senate Dems Demand Obama Ends Arctic Drilling

[portlander23]

The Hill: Senate Dems tell Obama to end Arctic drilling

In a letter Friday, 12 senators asked Obama to block any additional drilling after Royal Dutch Shell wraps up its exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea, northwest of Alaska, this fall.

They also press Obama to explain how Arctic drilling fits within his climate policies, a question they said he has failed to answer thus far.
“You have stated many times that America must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and build our capacity for clean, renewable energy,” the Dems wrote.

“Allowing Shell to expand fossil fuel drilling in the Arctic is incompatible with this imperative and with your commitment that the United States will lead the global effort to address climate change.”

“We continue to hope the administration will reverse its policy to promote drilling in the Arctic,” they said in their Friday letter. “In the meantime, we are concerned that no one has responded to the concerns we raised in our previous letters.”

The letter was signed by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Bernie Sanders (Vt.), Al Franken (Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Gary Peters (Mich.).

[bigwillq]

1. K and R

Glad to see my Senator (Blumenthal) sign it.

[beam me up scottie]

2. K & R

[AtomicKitten]

3. Granting those permits was appalling.

Almost in the same breath the president talks about combatting climate change. The disconnect is really infuriating.

k&r

[Juicy_Bellows]

4. Good - they never should have been allowed to start.

Sick of this shit.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Yes, yes, yes.

A thousand times yes. NO drilling offshore in the Arctic.

[suffragette]

6. K&R

[YabaDabaNoDinoNo]

7. Interesting and very telling at the same time

Look who signed on and look who did not and follow the money

There seems to be 32 missing signatures on the letter.