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Responding to news this afternoon about the Obama administration’s approval for Shell to drill in Arctic waters, the National Audubon Society released the following statement.
“Some ideas are just non-starters, like drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean,” said Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold (@david_yarnold). “Spills under ice sheets can’t be controlled, and America doesn’t need the oil in order to maintain its energy independence. So this is just cynical partisan politics, a public relations bone that the Obama administration is throwing to Shell. This way, the Obama team gets to pretend that ‘all of the above’ (including risky offshore drilling) is a legitimate energy strategy as a way to deflect criticism from a much-needed global agreement on greenhouse gas emissions controls. It’s a phony deal, but worse, issuing this authorization is a slippery slope that could lead to environmental catastrophe for birds, other wildlife and people. Is today’s ruling just bad policy, cynical or politically motivated? How about all of the above?”
