As the new home of TexPIRG's environmental work,
Environment Texas can be contacted with any questions regarding this
news release.
AUSTIN—Standing in
front of a model 20-foot high oil derrick set up at the shores of Town Lake
in Austin today, members of the Texas Public Interest Research Group (TexPIRG)
spoke out in opposition to oil and gas drilling in the coastal plain of the
Arctic Refuge and defeat the Bush administration’s energy bill—provisions
that are likely to set a precedent for drilling in public lands across America—including
Padre Island National Seashore.
“There is no better
symbol of the Bush Administration energy plan than an ugly and polluting oil
derrick. Instead of promoting energy efficiency and clean sources energy, the
Bush Administration is proposing destroying a pristine wilderness and paving
the way for drilling here in our backyard,” said Bill Blome, TexPIRG Field
Organizer. “Today we call on residents of Austin to join us and a majority
of Americans and not with ExxonMobil and to oppose drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge and the other dangerous elements of the Bush energy plan. And
we ask all opponents of drilling to call on their elected officials to protect
the Arctic. ”
House Majority Leader Tom
DeLay has called drilling in the Arctic Refuge a “precedent” that
would pave the way for drilling in public lands across America, including more
drilling at Padre Island National Seashore. BNP Petroleum has already begun
drilling on Padre and as many as 20 oil wells could be drilled in the next few
decades.
The coastal plain of the
Arctic Refuge is one of America’s last wild places and the only part of
Alaska’s North Slope that is currently off-limits to drilling. The area
supports a wide array of wildlife, including caribou, polar bears, musk oxen,
and more than 200 species of migratory birds.
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge
is just one part of the Bush energy plan. The Bush plan contains billions in
subsidies for the oil, coal and nuclear industries, and weakens consumer, environmental
and public health protections. The Bush plan, as passed in the House and currently
moving through the Senate, short-changes clean renewable energy, fails to reduce
America's dependence on oil, and does nothing to address global warming pollution.
“Drilling in the Arctic
Refuge, one of America’s last wild places, is no substitute for an energy
policy. At best there is less than a year’s worth of oil there, and it
would do nothing to affect gas prices” said Blome. “Instead of introducing
an energy bill that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy, the Bush
Administration has proposed a “No Oil Lobbyist Left Behind” plan.”
In addition to opposing
drilling, TexPIRG called on the public and our elected officials to support
a clean energy future that includes a Clean Energy Standard requiring that utilities
get at least 10 percent of their electricity from clean, affordable energy sources
like wind and solar power, and to raise fuel efficiency to 40 miles per gallon—a
move that would save more oil than America gets from the Persian Gulf and would
get from the Arctic Refuge—combined. It would also save American drivers
between $3500 - $5500 in gas costs over the life of a car.
“Texans are clear what
side they’re on—we want a clean, affordable energy future where we
improve our efficiency, lower gas costs, create jobs and get our power from
clean energy sources like wind and solar power,” Blome said. “By supporting
increases in automobile fuel efficiency to 40 miles per gallon and a clean energy
standard, Congress can make sure we save on gas and free America from reliance
on the kind of polluting energy like oil and coal that kill more than 30,000
Americans every year.”
