Submit Your Letter of Opposition to Trump's Interior Department: Say NO to drilling in the Beaufort Sea and all our Ocean Waters

The Polar Bear Seas.

That's what they call the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, together home to most of Alaska's imperiled polar bear population.

The Beaufort is also the latest target of President Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's unrelenting drive to hand over our Arctic wilderness and U.S. coastlines to his oil industry allies.

Drilling in the Arctic's Beaufort Sea would be extraordinarily dangerous — the risk of oil spills there is extremely high, and cleaning up spills in such rugged and remote waters is functionally impossible.

The Interior Department is formally accepting public comments on its risky drilling gambit until January. So we only have a few weeks to flood the Interior Department with thousands of citizen letters opposing drilling in the Beaufort Sea.

Take action now — submit your Letter of Opposition to Trump's Interior Department and say NO to drilling in the Beaufort Sea and all our ocean waters.

An oil spill in the Beaufort Sea would be disastrous for the Arctic's vulnerable wildlife, especially its threatened polar bear population and the region's many species of whales, seals, and sea birds.

And the Beaufort Sea sits right off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, itself a target of Trump's all-out oil drilling onslaught. A spill in the Beaufort could devastate the coastline of the Arctic Refuge, blanketing it with a deadly slick of toxic crude.

With the growing threat of climate change, which is warming the Arctic faster than any other part of Earth, America should be moving away from dirty fossil fuels and doubling down on clean energy.

Stop the Trump administration's new Arctic drilling plans — submit your letter today.

Last spring, thousands of NRDC supporters mobilized to send messages opposing drilling in the Arctic Refuge and Beaufort Sea. And NRDC and our allies filed a lawsuit in federal court to block this illegal oil drilling scheme, and that legal battle continues.

But Trump and Zinke are intent on moving ahead with their drive to drill in these pristine wild places. In addition to their destructive plans for the Beaufort, the Trump administration is about to release a disastrous five-year plan that will likely call for a massive expansion of oil and gas drilling along nearly all of America's precious coasts.

NRDC is prepared to fight offshore drilling on both these fronts and more. But in the meantime, please submit your Letter of Opposition to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke demanding that he halt his department's unrelenting push to open the Beaufort to oil drilling.

- Rhea Suh, President, NRDC

Tell Interior Sec. Zinke: No coal exports from military bases

Interior Ryan Zinke is considering using West Coast military bases to ship coal and natural gas overseas.

The petition to Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke reads: "Using military bases to ship coal and natural gas overseas would fuel climate change and undermine national security. I urge you not to move forward with this dangerous and misguided proposal." Add your name:

Trump's scandal-plagued Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is considering a dangerously misguided proposal to use West Coast military bases to ship coal and natural gas overseas.1 This short-sighted proposal would help supercharge climate change, endanger the public and could undermine our national security. As Washington Governor Jay Inslee put it, "the men and women who serve at our military bases are there to keep our country safe, not to service an export facility for private fossil fuel companies."2 We must create a massive public outcry in opposition right now before this scheme moves forward. Tell Sec. Zinke: No fossil fuel exports from military bases. Click here to sign the petition. The fossil fuel industry and Republican politicians have been scheming for years to ship millions of tons of dirty coal from Wyoming and Montana to overseas markets. Local communities and environmentalists in the Pacific Northwest have fought back and successfully blocked every single one of these proposals due to their consequences for the climate and public health.3 Now the Trump administration wants to ignore the will of the local communities that have unequivocally said that they do not want to become a hub for shipping fossil fuels overseas. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden pointed out that the Trump administration is "not only disregarding the realities around climate change, it’s trampling on local communities that have already rejected such proposals."4 Grassroots opposition has stopped countless fossil fuel export proposals, and it can do so again. That starts today as we work to build widespread public opposition to the fossil fuel industry's latest attempt to ship dirty fossil fuels overseas. Tell Sec. Zinke: No fossil fuel exports from military bases. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/coal_export_bases?t=7&akid=30408%2E3130208%2Eq5FZSI - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References Matthew Brown, "West Coast military installations eyed for US fuel exports," Associated Press, Oct. 15, 2018. Jennifer A Dlouhy, "Trump Plan to Export Coal From Military Ports Draws Condemnation," Bloomberg, Oct. 16, 2018. Mary Anne Hitt, "Major Grassroots Victory: Last Coal Export Terminal Goes Down in the Northwest," Sept. 27, 2017. Niclas Rolander, Jesper Starn and Elisabeth Behrmann, "The Dirt on Clean Electric Cars," Bloomberg, Oct. 15, 2018.

Pres. Trump ramping up to stop rallies

Donald Trump is ramping up his attack on free speech and the First Amendment.

At a recent rally in Montana he praised a Republican member of Congress who body-slammed a reporter last year, and said it helped him win the election.¹

But that's just part of Trump's widening war on free speech. His Interior Department is considering proposals to ban protests on the sidewalk in front of the White House and also charge organizers "event-management" fees for rallies on the National Mall that could run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.²

We know what this is about: Trump wants to shut down the next Women's March, March for Our Lives, or Battle for the Net rally.  Publicly addressing our grievances with our government is a fundamental right, and the Constitution prohibits the restriction of that right by any law or policy.³

But Trump's interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, says that protests impose a "heavy cost" on government that protesters need to cover—and his proposal will force protesters to pay for everything from barriers to law-enforcement salaries to repairing grass that is stepped on. These costs would make protesting prohibitive for most people—which is exactly what Trump wants.⁴

And this new policy would cover nearly every public space in Washington, D.C.—including the National Mall and the space in front of the White House—as well as other public spaces managed by the National Park Service, like the sidewalk in front of Trump Tower.⁴

If Trump's policy stands, it could be only a matter of time until states and municipalities follow suit, taking away our most public and effective means of protesting unfair and inhumane government practices. Demand Progress would have our legs cut out from under us—we could no longer stage game-changing actions like our Verizon Wireless protest last year.

It's clear that Trump is determined to silence free speech, whether from the media or from protesters. Trump consistently belittles the White House press corps and repeatedly threatens the media with violence. 

Robert Cruickshank, , Demand Progress

Sources:

1. CNN, "Trump jokes about congressman assaulting reporter: 'Any guy who can do a body slam ... he's my guy'," October 19, 2018
2. Department of the Interior, "Special Regulations, Areas of the National Park System, National Capital Region, Special Events and Demonstrations," August 7, 2018
3. Legal Information Institute, "First Amendment," accessed October 19, 2018
4. Department of the Interior, "Special Regulations, Areas of the National Park System, National Capital Region, Special Events and Demonstrations," August 7, 2018
5. The Washington Post, "The Trump administration wants to tax protests. What happened to free speech?" September 11, 2018

Scandal-plagued Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke must resign

The petition to Sec. Ryan Zinke reads: "Your unethical behavior, mounting scandals, waste of taxpayer money, and policies to hand over public lands to the fossil fuel and mining industries make you unfit for public service. You must resign immediately." Add your name:

The evidence of corruption and incompetence just keeps piling up for Trump's Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Considered "the most scandal-plagued member" of Trump’s cabinet, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke – public lands-enemy number-one – is facing a dozen federal investigations into shady business dealings, unethical behavior, violations of federal law and misuse of taxpayer money.1 Just this week, the Interior Department's Inspector General released a report accusing Zinke of violating department policy by inappropriately using government vehicles and his security detail for personal matters.2 Zinke is wholly unfit to serve, and we must again build massive public pressure on another corrupt Trump administration official to force his resignation. Tell Sec. Zinke: Resign immediately. Click here to sign the petition. The number of investigations Zinke faces is more than the last four Interior secretaries combined. The actions federal watchdogs have looked at or are looking into include Zinke's threats to a sitting senator, illegal use of a private jet, the removal of references to climate change in scientific reports and multiple violations of the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits executive branch employees from engaging in political activity.3 One of Zinke's most egregious and bizarre scandals involves a sketchy land deal with Halliburton, the multinational oil services company and government contractor that ripped off billions from the American taxpayer during the Iraq War and who now benefits from Zinke's industry-friendly public land policies. Zinke reportedly met with Halliburton's chairman on official business to work on sealing a land development project in Montana that could enrich Zinke's family.4 Halliburton even reportedly bribed Zinke with a microbrewery, a lifelong dream of his, to sweeten the deal.5 Like all of Trump's cabinet secretaries who have left in shame, Zinke is a grifter who is using his status in public office to enrich himself and his friends in corporate America. It's time for him to go, and we must show him the door now. Tell Sec. Zinke: Resign immediately. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/zinke_resign?t=7&akid=30440%2E3130208%2E22SrMa - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Chris D’Angelo, "Scandals Pile Up For Interior Chief Ryan Zinke," HuffPost, July 23, 2018. Tom McCarthy, "Inspector general: interior secretary Zinke's travel with wife violated policy," The Guardian, October 18, 2018. Juliet Eilperin, "Trump administration officials dismissed benefits of national monuments," The Washington Post, July 23, 2018. Ben Lefebvre and Nick Juliano, "Zinke's Halliburton mess deepens," POLITICO, June 21, 2018. Bess Levin, "Is Halliburton Bribing Ryan Zinke with a Microbrewery?" Vanity Fair, Aug. 2, 2018.

Sign this petition: Demand Congress hold Secretary Ryan Zinke accountable for working to destroy our public lands and waters

Make me an offer...

Every day Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is in office, he works to destroy our public lands and waters at the expense of our communities.  He proposed gutting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. He wants to massively ramp up oil and gas drilling off our coasts. And he’s trying to slash protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

All this begs the question: What is Ryan Zinke getting out of destroying our last remaining wild places and the people who depend on them?

There are 14 federal investigations into Zinke’s decision-making, misuse of funds, and potential corruption. We can’t continue to allow him to destroy our wild places and communities for the benefit of his friends – from private developers to the fossil fuel industry. This makes Zinke just as corrupt as former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. We need Congress to kick him out of office before he can do any more harm!

Click here to sign the petition asking Congress to fire Zinke.

- Daily Kos

Participating partners:

198 Methods
Beyond Extreme Energy
Campaign for America's Future
Climate Hawks Vote
Daily Kos
Earthworks
Food & Water Action
Fossil Free California
Franciscan Action Network
Friends of the Earth
People Demanding Action
People for the American Way
Power Shift Network
Progress America
Progressive Democrats of America
Stand.earth

Click here to sign the following petition to Congress.

(It is always best to add a personal comment if you can.)

Our Message to Congress:

We, the undersigned, call on you as elected members of Congress to do everything in your power to hold Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke accountable for his potential ethics violations, including calling for him to be fired.

Zinke has an extensive track record of acting to gut protections for our public lands and waters. He proposed gutting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments so the fossil fuel industry could drill and mine there – with devastating impacts on local communities. He released a plan to massively ramp up oil and gas drilling off our coasts. And he wants to slash protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This could lead to Big Oil wiping out the porcupine caribou herd, which Alaska’s Gwich’in community has relied on for millennia.

Additionally, Zinke is trying to disregard the input of communities impacted by fossil fuel development. For example, his department is limiting tribal involvement in decisions about Bears Ears -- despite the fact that mining there would have catastrophic impacts on their lands.

Meanwhile, a foundation established by Zinke and chaired by his wife engaged in a real estate deal with the chairman of dirty energy giant Halliburton – which is already benefitting from Zinke’s attacks on our public lands and waters. Zinke has been wasting taxpayer money on chartered flights and helicopter trips. And 14 federal investigations have already been initiated to look into his actions.

We call on you to stop Zinke from using his position as Secretary of the Interior to destroy our public lands and waters and harm the communities who depend on them while his friends in the oil industry benefit. Please publicly call for Zinke’s removal immediately.

TAKE ACTION: Stop the attack on endangered wildlife

The grizzly bear, the gray whale, and the bald eagle all faced extinction until the Endangered Species Act saved them. Now that same law is facing its own extinction, thanks to the Trump administration.

Speak up now to stop the Trump administration’s rollback of the Endangered Species Act.

Putting the interests of extractive industries over imperiled wildlife, Trump-appointed Interior Secretary Zinke has proposed a disastrous set of regulatory changes—best characterized as an “Extinction Plan”—that would severely undermine the Act and make it easier for destructive corporations such as oil and gas and mining companies to push through their projects.

For nearly 45 years the Endangered Species Act has been a vital last line of defense for plants and animals on the verge of extinction. And just as our planet is experiencing what scientists call a sixth mass extinction period, the Trump-Zinke Extinction Plan would take us in exactly the wrong direction.

For the sake of our planet and all the generations still to come, we must stop the Trump-Zinke Extinction Plan in its tracks. Take action today to protect the Endangered Species Act and the animals and plants under its care.

Take action now and stop the attack on endangered wildlife.

- Earth Justice

Stop the Trump administration’s rollback of the Endangered Species Act

The grizzly bear, the gray whale, and the bald eagle all faced extinction until the Endangered Species Act saved them. Now that same law is facing its own extinction, thanks to the Trump administration.

Speak up now to stop the Trump administration’s rollback of the Endangered Species Act.

Putting the interests of extractive industries over imperiled wildlife, Trump-appointed Interior Secretary Zinke has proposed a disastrous set of regulatory changes—best characterized as an “Extinction Plan”—that would severely undermine the Act and make it easier for destructive corporations such as oil and gas and mining companies to push through their projects.

For nearly 45 years the Endangered Species Act has been a vital last line of defense for plants and animals on the verge of extinction. And just as our planet is experiencing what scientists call a sixth mass extinction period, the Trump-Zinke Extinction Plan would take us in exactly the wrong direction.

For the sake of our planet and all the generations still to come, we must stop the Trump-Zinke Extinction Plan in its tracks. Take action today to protect the Endangered Species Act and the animals and plants under its care.

Take action now and stop the attack on endangered wildlife.

-Marjorie Mulhall, Legislative Director of Lands, Wildlife, Oceans

Trump Takes a Stand Against…Endangered Species? | The Daily Show

The Trump administration wants to roll back endangered species protections

Endangered Species Act stripped of key provisions in Trump administration proposal

Tell Secretary Zinke: Honor Tribal sovereignty, stop the trophy hunts!

The decision to remove Endangered Species protections from Greater Yellowstone grizzlies was clearly a bad one -- based on bad science, and shortsightedness about the continued challenges the bears face.

Hundreds of thousands of emails and phone calls from scientists, wildlife photographers, conservationists and wildlife lovers have been ignored. Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, three states notoriously hostile to carnivores, now control their future -- Wyoming and Idaho have trophy hunts scheduled to start on September 1.

And perhaps worst of all, the Department of Interior has never honored Tribal Nations’ call for consultation on management of the Greater Yellowstone grizzly -- a process required by federal law.

Sec. Zinke is certainly aware of this responsibility. He even committed, in Congressional testimony, to consult with Tribes before the delisting, citing a moral and legal responsibility to do so -- only to delist the bears literally hours later.

Demand respect for Tribal sovereignty and wildlife! Tell Zinke: Reinstate grizzly protections, stop the trophy hunt and consult with Tribes now!

- Sierra Club 

Submit a comment: Trump administration save the Endangered Species Act

Extinction is forever. If we lose the polar bear... the manatee... the orca whale... the sage grouse... the bearded seal... we will never get them back.

Yet the Trump administration just announced alarming plans to dramatically weaken the Endangered Species Act — a landmark law with an astonishing 99% success rate that has been a literal lifesaver for hundreds of species on the brink of extinction.

Trump's plan is a devastating blow for threatened wildlife. They don't have a voice to fight back — but we do. Right now, the Interior and Commerce Departments are accepting comments from the public on this disastrous plan.

We need your help to mobilize a massive public outcry that will let President Trump, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke know we're watching them — and we will not stop fighting to protect threatened and endangered species.

TAKE ACTION: Submit an official comment calling on the Trump administration to reverse course and save the Endangered Species Act.

Make no mistake: This is the biggest attack on the Endangered Species Act in decades. The very agencies that are charged with saving imperiled species are trying to gut the law's bedrock protections. The proposed rollbacks would:

• Make it more difficult to extend protections to threatened species, delaying lifesaving action until a species' population is so small it may be challenging or impossible to save
• Exempt climate change from key parts of the law, making it more difficult to protect the polar bear, the bearded seal, and many other imperiled species that are impacted by the effects of climate change
• Require economic factors to be analyzed when deciding if a species should be saved
• Make it easier for companies to build roads, pipelines, mines, and other industrial projects in critical habitat areas that are essential to imperiled species' survival

The Trump administration is giving its friends in the drilling, mining, and logging industries the green light to destroy fragile wildlife habitats and drive our most threatened species to the brink of extinction, just to bolster corporate polluter profits.

Tell them you won't stand for it. Submit a comment calling on Secretary Zinke, Secretary Ross, and President Trump to halt their attacks on the Endangered Species Act.

The bald eagle, the humpback whale, and the grizzly bear are just a few of the hundreds of iconic species saved by the ESA. It's no wonder that an overwhelming majority of Americans support the law and want their elected officials to protect it.

At NRDC, we've led the fight to add imperiled animals and plants to the Endangered Species List, and we've successfully defended vulnerable wildlife like humpback whales and rusty patched bumble bees in court.

Now, we're fighting tirelessly to protect the Endangered Species Act itself from the Trump administration's attacks. And if necessary, we'll take Trump and his allies to court to save the ESA.

Please join our fight today by calling on the Trump administration to save the ESA — and the countless species whose lives depend on it — while we still can.

- Rhea Suh, President, NRDC

Ask scandal-plagued Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke to resign

The petition to Sec. Ryan Zinke reads: "Your unethical behavior, mounting scandals, waste of taxpayer money, and policies to hand over public lands to the fossil fuel and mining industries make you unfit for public service. You must resign immediately." Add your name:

It's Scott Pruitt all over again. Considered "the most scandal-plagued member" of Trump’s cabinet, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke – public lands-enemy number-one – is facing 14 federal investigations into shady business dealings, unethical behavior, violations of federal law and misuse of taxpayer money.1 In addition, although Zinke is charged with protecting our national parks and monuments, new uncovered documents reveal that he and his close aides have been conspiring to undermine the protection of our public lands and hand them over to the fossil fuel and mining industries.2 Zinke is wholly unfit to serve, and we must again build massive public pressure on another corrupt Trump administration official to force his resignation. Tell Sec. Zinke: Resign immediately. Click here to sign the petition. The number of investigations Zinke faces is more than the last four Interior secretaries combined. The actions federal watchdogs have looked at or are looking into include Zinke's threats to a sitting senator, illegal use of a private jet, the removal of references to climate change in scientific reports and multiple violations of the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits executive branch employees from engaging in political activity.3 One of Zinke's most egregious and bizarre scandals involves a sketchy land deal with Halliburton, the multinational oil services company and government contractor that ripped off billions from the American taxpayer during the Iraq War and who now benefits from Zinke's industry-friendly public land policies. Zinke reportedly met with Halliburton's chairman on official business to work on sealing a land development project in Montana that could enrich Zinke's family.4 Halliburton even reportedly bribed Zinke with a microbrewery, a lifelong dream of his, to sweeten the deal.5 Like all of Trump's cabinet secretaries who have left in shame, Zinke is a grifter who is using his status in public office to enrich himself and his friends in corporate America. It's time for him to go, and we must show him the door now. Tell Sec. Zinke: Resign immediately. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/zinke_resign?t=7&akid=29543%2E3130208%2EiHbCNK - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: Chris D’Angelo, "Scandals Pile Up For Interior Chief Ryan Zinke," HuffPost, July 23, 2018. Greg Zimmerman, "Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s conduct attracts unprecedented scrutiny from government investigators," The Center for Western Priorities, June 1, 2018. Juliet Eilperin, "Trump administration officials dismissed benefits of national monuments," The Washington Post, July 23, 2018. Ben Lefebvre and Nick Juliano, "Zinke's Halliburton mess deepens," POLITICO, June 21, 2018. Bess Levin, "Is Halliburton Bribing Ryan Zinke with a Microbrewery?" Vanity Fair, Aug. 2, 2018.

Tell the Trump administration: No mining at Yellowstone

Proposed mine uphill from Yellowstone River

The petition to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke reads: "Do not allow mining in or around Yellowstone National Park." Add your name:

Yellowstone National Park is facing one of its biggest threats since it was established nearly 150 years ago. Right now, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is considering whether to open up more than 30,000 acres of public lands at the northern gateway of America's oldest and most iconic national park to aggressive gold, silver and other mineral extraction.1 If Zinke refuses to ban mining by companies looking to exploit Yellowstone's natural resources, it could spell disaster for the environment and tourism and destroy one of our country's most precious landmarks. A decision by Zinke is expected this fall but could come any day now. We must urge him to ban mining in and around Yellowstone immediately. Tell Sec. Zinke: No mining at Yellowstone National Park. Click here to sign the petition. Mining operations in Paradise Valley, the region just north of Yellowstone, would be an economic and environmental disaster. The national park is a major driver of the local tourist economy, and this proposed drilling and mining plan would produce massive amounts of pollution and could destroy the "wild areas populated by grizzly bears, bighorn sheep and other wildlife and harm streams that drain into the Yellowstone River, a popular trout fishing destination that draws anglers from around the world."2 In 2016, President Obama's then-Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced a two-year moratorium on mining in the region to allow for the federal government to conduct an environmental assessment to determine if the agency should propose a longer ban, adding that "Yellowstone is more valuable than gold."3 After the assessment and huge public outcry, the Forest Service recently recommended a 20-year ban on mining in the region - the maximum allowed without congressional action - that will give Congress time to pass a permanent ban on Yellowstone mining.4 But this recommendation hinges on Sec. Zinke's final approval. This is a fight that we can win. Zinke suggested that he supports a ban on mining in this region, both as a congressman and administration official, but he has yet to act. We must ramp up public pressure before Zinke reverses course and urge him to ban mining at Yellowstone. Tell Sec. Zinke: No mining at Yellowstone National Park. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/yellowstone_mining?t=7&akid=28978%2E3130208%2EvbBDkh - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: National Parks Conservation Association, "The Gateway to Yellowstone Is No Place to Mine," accessed June 19, 2018. Matthew Brown, "Interior secretary urges mining ban near Yellowstone," The Boston Globe, Aug. 29, 2017. Michael Wright, "Obama administration blocks new mining claims on 30,000 acres in Paradise Valley," Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Nov. 21, 2016. Sam Schipani, "New Mining Ban Around Yellowstone Moves Forward," Sierra, April 3, 2018.

TAKE ACTION: TELL SECRETARY ZINKE UPHOLD THE METHANE WASTE RULE

Last month we won a major victory for the climate, clean air and taxpayers. A federal court rejected the Trump Administration’s attempt to suspend a commonsense rule requiring oil and gas operators who drill on public lands to capture their methane waste and air toxics instead of pumping them into surrounding communities.

But on the same day the court issued the ruling, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke launched his third attack on this safeguard, this time proposing to scrap the rule’s protections for good.

Earthjustice is still fighting to protect the rule, and we need your help again. Last month’s court decision was in part because the Bureau of Land Management did not provide for a meaningful opportunity for you—the public—to comment on suspending the rule.

Tell Secretary Zinke that we need strong protections from methane waste right now.

This rollback takes direct aim at the health and safety of tens of thousands of Americans living near oil and gas operations. In their communities, natural gas is leaked and vented into the air, causing smog and asthma attacks and releasing toxic air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. Gas flares rumble like jet engines and make the nighttime look like bright summer days.

Repealing this commonsense protection is another shameless giveaway of taxpayer resources and an assault on the air and health of communities just to appease the Trump administration’s corporate fossil fuel donors.

The BLM’s current Methane Waste Prevention Rule puts millions of dollars into the public coffers. When oil and gas companies leak, vent or flare publicly-owned gas on public lands, the rule requires companies to pay back the public for their wasteful practices. Without the rule in place, BLM’s own analysis shows that oil and gas companies will waste 180,000 tons of methane each year—deliberately venting, leaking, or flaring $824 million worth of publicly-owned natural gas into the air over the next decade.

Methane waste is a simple problem to solve. The Waste Prevention Rule requires drillers to use proven, low-cost solutions to capture publicly-owned natural gas that otherwise would be flared, vented, or leaked into the air.

Americans have fought for years to protect these vital clean air protections and we won’t back down now. Tell Secretary Zinke to keep the methane waste rule and protect our health and clean air.

- Earth Justice

READ MORE: Trump Admin Just Lost Another Attempt to Nix Commonsense Rules on Methane

Add your voice: tell Secretary Zinke to stop the waste, don't gut the methane waste rule

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has proposed eliminating the Bureau of Land Management's methane waste rule, a key wish of the oil and gas industry. This common sense policy requires companies to reduce the venting and flaring of natural gas, giving taxpayers a fair share for publicly-owned resources.

Click here to submit the your personalized version of the following message:

(They have been throwing out identical form letters....) 

Stop the waste: Don't gut the methane waste rule

Dear [elected official],

I strongly oppose the Bureau of Land Management's proposal to effectively eliminate safeguards that reduce methane waste from drilling operations on public lands.

For too long, oil and gas companies have vented and flared natural gas unchecked, polluting our air and wasting taxpayer-owned resources. Recently, taxpayers have lost as much as $23 million each year in royalty revenue due to methane waste.

Leaving in place the existing safeguards will ensure that companies detect and fix natural gas leaks—resulting in a fairer return for taxpayer-owned resources. Leading companies have confirmed they can use available, low-cost technologies to do the job, giving them more natural gas to sell.   

Once again, I oppose effectively eliminating the BLM’s methane waste safeguards. I urge you to look out for American taxpayers by enforcing existing safeguards that reduce natural gas waste from drilling on lands owned by all of us.

- Center for Western Priorities 

PUBLIC COMMENT TIME: UPHOLD THE METHANE WASTE RULE TO PROTECT OUR HEALTH AND CLEAN AIR

Last month we won a major victory for the climate, clean air and taxpayers. A federal court rejected the Trump Administration’s attempt to suspend a commonsense rule requiring oil and gas operators who drill on public lands to capture their methane waste and air toxics instead of pumping them into surrounding communities.

But on the same day the court issued the ruling, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke launched his third attack on this safeguard, this time proposing to scrap the rule’s protections for good.

Last month’s court decision was in part because the Bureau of Land Management did not provide for a meaningful opportunity for you—the public—to comment on suspending the rule. Tell Secretary Zinke that we need strong protections from methane waste right now.

This rollback takes direct aim at the health and safety of tens of thousands of Americans living near oil and gas operations. In their communities, natural gas is leaked and vented into the air, causing smog and asthma attacks and releasing toxic air pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. Gas flares rumble like jet engines and make the nighttime look like bright summer days.

Repealing this commonsense protection is another shameless giveaway of taxpayer resources and an assault on the air and health of communities just to appease the Trump administration’s corporate fossil fuel donors.

The BLM’s current Methane Waste Prevention Rule puts millions of dollars into the public coffers. When oil and gas companies leak, vent or flare publicly-owned gas on public lands, the rule requires companies to pay back the public for their wasteful practices. Without the rule in place, BLM’s own analysis shows that oil and gas companies will waste 180,000 tons of methane each year—deliberately venting, leaking, or flaring $824 million worth of publicly-owned natural gas into the air over the next decade.

Methane waste is a simple problem to solve. The Waste Prevention Rule requires drillers to use proven, low-cost solutions to capture publicly-owned natural gas that otherwise would be flared, vented, or leaked into the air.

Americans have fought for years to protect these vital clean air protections and we won’t back down now.

Tell Secretary Zinke to keep the methane waste rule and protect our health and clean air.

- Earth Justice 

More information:

Interior Department moves to gut safeguards to methane pollution

Tell the Department of the Interior: No drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic Refuge

The petition to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior reads: "Do not allow drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." Add your name:

In early March, two Trump administration officials took a week-long trip through Alaska to start laying the groundwork for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The environmental scoping process for the first oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic Refuge could begin as early as the next few weeks.1 Republicans have been hell bent on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for decades. Thanks to Trump and the Trump Tax Scam, they now have their chance. They are moving at lightning speed to allow oil companies to ravage this land with seismic exploration and drilling. Seismic exploration and drilling both threaten the main calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd and the cultural survival of the indigenous Gwich’in people, whose way of life depends on the caribou. The Gwich'in consider the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge land sacred, and they have asked for all our support in protecting it.2 To stand with the Gwich'in people, we need to stop this climate, environmental and cultural catastrophe now, before it's too late. Tell Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke: Do not allow drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click here to sign the petition Republicans scored a major victory in December when they passed the Trump Tax Scam, which included a provision that requires the government to hold at least two oil and gas lease sales there in the next decade. The first step will be seismic exploration, a destructive process that would harm the Arctic tundra's delicate ecosystem for decades – or even permanently – even if oil and gas are never found.3 The Arctic Refuge includes more than 19 million acres of protected land in northeastern Alaska, and it is home to polar bears, caribou, moose and hundreds of species of migratory birds. It is sacred land to the Gwich'in people, who live just outside the refuge and subsist on migrating caribou. In the 1980s, seismic exploration disrupted the biodiverse region, leaving ugly scars on the Arctic tundra that are still visible more than 30 years later.4 Experts worry that further seismic exploration will thaw permafrost, disrupt caribou migration and disturb denning female polar bears.5 Now Alaska Governor Bill Walker has just asked the Alaska Legislature for $10 million to begin seismic exploration again.6 Once exploration is underway, oil drilling could follow within just five years.7 At a time when scientists are urging us to keep oil in the ground to protect our climate, this project would destroy an irreplaceable and sacred place – all for short-term profit. Our friends at the Gwich'in Steering Committee and the Alaska Wilderness League are calling on us to join them in protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from this Republican assault. Tell Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke: Do not allow drilling or seismic exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Arctic-seismic-exploration?t=7&akid=27738%2E3130208%2E7xp_Zz - Brandy Doyle, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Lorraine Chow, "Interior Moves to Sell Oil Leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," EcoWatch, March 9, 2018. David Thompson, "Take Action," Gwich'in Steering Committee, Sept. 7, 2016. Chris D’Angelo, "The Arctic Refuge Still Bears Scars From Oil Exploration In The 1980s," HuffPost, Feb. 9, 2018. Ibid. Ibid. James Brooks, "State asks Legislature for $10 million to survey ANWR for oil," Juneau Empire, Feb. 20, 2018. Henry Fountain and Lisa Friedman, "Senate Takes Step to Approve Drilling in Arctic Wildlife Refuge," The New York Times, Oct. 13, 2017. #SavetheArcticRefuge #StopArcticDrilling

Tell Congress to stop Trump's outrageous offshore drilling scheme, and keep our coast off limits to oil giants

President Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have released an outrageous plan to auction off vast swaths of our U.S. coastlines to disastrous offshore drilling.

From Maine to Florida, Washington State to California, across the Arctic and in the Gulf of Mexico, their plan would put drill rigs off the coast of every coastal state — endangering communities, marine wildlife, and our climate with the risk of catastrophic oil spills.

Congress has the power to stop this dirty, dangerous plan by passing legislation that would protect our coastlines — but we must push them to take action now.

Tell your senators and representative to stand up to Trump's fossil fuel giveaway, and protect our coast and our climate from reckless oil and gas drilling!

Despite years of cleanup, tourism and wildlife still haven't fully recovered from the horrific Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that spilled millions of gallons of crude oil. Tar balls still turn up on beaches. Toxic poisons continue to show up in birds and wildlife. Dolphins are still sick and dying at elevated rates.

Trump's short-sighted drilling scheme would put virtually every inch of our coastlines at risk of devastating oil spills. It will irreversibly harm dolphins, whales, polar bears, otters, and other imperiled wildlife that thrive in and around our oceans ... threaten coastal jobs and economies ... dramatically amplify the effects of climate change ... and block our path to a clean energy future by keeping us shackled to the heavily polluting fossil fuels of the past.

All of this, just to pad the pockets of oil executives.

Americans overwhelmingly oppose expanding drilling off our coast. We need Congress to act by launching a full-on legislative counteroffensive that will stop this drilling plan in its tracks.

We need you to help us mobilize a massive, nationwide public outcry in defense of our coast, our communities, and our climate, and make your voice heard at your senators' and representative's offices across the country.

Tell Congress to stop Trump's outrageous offshore drilling scheme, and keep our coast off limits to oil giants!

- Rhea Suh, NRDC