Schatz: Just Say No to Arctic Drilling
The Hawaii Democrat is among 12 U.S. senators telling聽Obama聽the action is “inconsistent” with his climate change policies.
Just two months after the Obama administration allowed to drill two exploratory wells off the coast of Alaska, 12 U.S. senators are urging the president to聽not allow more drilling.
鈥淩esearch shows that drilling in the Arctic is inconsistent with efforts to achieve the world鈥檚 target, endorsed by the United States, of limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels,鈥 the senators write in a letter announced聽Friday.
The senators include Democrat Brian Schatz of Hawaii and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president.
The letter adds, 鈥淎llowing 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鈥 We urge you to change course, and ask for your critical leadership on international Arctic Ocean protection.鈥
According to a press release from Schatz’s office,聽the results of the oil聽exploration are expected to be announced soon.
The senators’ move comes in the same week that聽Pope Francis is in America calling聽for making protection of the environment a global priority.
Many Republicans are climate-change doubters, however.
The letter was also signed by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Al Franken (Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Gary Peters (Mich.).
The letter聽can be seen .
