Victory for the Arctic as Lease Sales are Cancelled

WASHINGTON (October 16, 2015) – The Obama administration announced Friday it would cancel proposed auctions for drilling rights in the Arctic waters off the coast of Alaska for 2016 and 2017. Franz Matzner, director of the Beyond Oil Initiative with the Natural Resources Defense Council, made the following statement:

“This grants Arctic waters an essential reprieve. The administration recognizes that we can’t expose this vital resource to the risks of a catastrophic blowout and we can’t lock the next generation into the fossil fuel dependence that’s driving global climate change. The next step should be to take Arctic and Atlantic waters off the table to oil and gas drilling for good. That’s one way to help speed our transition to a clean and safe energy future for America.”

 

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