Thursday
Apr292010
Democrats Launch Campaign To Preserve Arctic Refuge
Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 1:46PM
By Antonia Aguilar - University of New Mexico / Talk Radio News Service
Senators Tom Udall (D-NM), Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) marked the 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by launching a nationwide campaign to protect the Alaska based refuge from oil drilling and other industrial developments.
“In wildness is the preservation of the planet,” said Tom Udall. "We need to make sure that we preserve this area. It’s a very very special area.”
Titled “The Arctic is Alive,” the campaign will focus on the natural resources along the coastal plain as well as the native species that inhabit the area.
“The coastal plane of the Arctic refuge is the biological heart of the region and central to the survival of many species,” said Markey. “We would never dam the Grand Canyon, we would never strip mine the Yellow Stone and we should never drill in the Arctic Refuge.”
Mark Udall said he hopes the campaign will sway Congress to list the coastal plain under wilderness protection legislation, which would officially ensure its preservation.
“I think our mission is to not have to come back and celebrate the 100th anniversary... because it’ll just be a given that the wildlife refuge has been permanently protected as wilderness,” said the Colorado senator. "This isn’t just about us, it’s about the generations to follow.”
Senators Tom Udall (D-NM), Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) marked the 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by launching a nationwide campaign to protect the Alaska based refuge from oil drilling and other industrial developments.
“In wildness is the preservation of the planet,” said Tom Udall. "We need to make sure that we preserve this area. It’s a very very special area.”
Titled “The Arctic is Alive,” the campaign will focus on the natural resources along the coastal plain as well as the native species that inhabit the area.
“The coastal plane of the Arctic refuge is the biological heart of the region and central to the survival of many species,” said Markey. “We would never dam the Grand Canyon, we would never strip mine the Yellow Stone and we should never drill in the Arctic Refuge.”
Mark Udall said he hopes the campaign will sway Congress to list the coastal plain under wilderness protection legislation, which would officially ensure its preservation.
“I think our mission is to not have to come back and celebrate the 100th anniversary... because it’ll just be a given that the wildlife refuge has been permanently protected as wilderness,” said the Colorado senator. "This isn’t just about us, it’s about the generations to follow.”
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