Tell the Bushies: No Destructive Drilling in Dixie Natl Park!

from Natural Resources Defense Council

More than half a million people visit Utah's Dixie National Forest every year for its breathtaking beauty, abundant recreational activities and unique wildlife. The forest provides habitat for several threatened and endangered species, including the California condor, Mexican spotted owl and Utah prairie dog, and also hosts tributaries that flow into the Colorado River.

But in its final months in office, the Bush administration wants to open up large tracts of the most sensitive areas of Dixie National Forest to oil and gas drilling. The areas proposed for drilling include more than 500,000 acres in roadless wildlands and along "wild and scenic" rivers. Once large-scale industrial and commercial development begins, there would be no way to restore the landscapes that have been shaped by nature since the beginning of time. A better option would be to prohibit drilling close to sensitive habitat, including breeding and nesting grounds for sage grouse, deer, elk and other native species.

The Bush administration is accepting public comments on its proposed plan through December 16.

Do something: Send a message, before the December 16 comment deadline, telling the Bush administration to protect Dixie National Forest from increased oil and gas drilling.

Burn Baby Burn, Spill Baby Spill, Melt Baby Melt...

from Greenpeace USA:

Let's face it, our country is addicted to oil. Even George W. Bush, a former oil peddler, has admitted this addiction. And like any sickness, our addiction to oil has serious consequences: higher temperatures, melting glaciers, more violent storms and $4 a gallon gasoline to name just a few.

Now, in search of another quick fix, Congress and President Bush have lifted the moratorium on offshore oil drilling that has protected most of our nation's coasts for thirty years.

The U.S. burns 25 percent of the world's oil, but we only have three percent of the world's proven oil reserves. Offshore drilling won't even deliver a drop of oil for ten years, according to the Bush Administration's own numbers. That means we'll never be able to drill our way to lower gas prices or energy independence.

Drilling for offshore oil is like giving an addict a bigger dose - it doesn't solve the problem, it just makes it worse - for all of us.

Politicians talk a good game about the war on drugs. But it's time they learned to kick a habit that threatens our entire planet. It's time to quit oil, get clean, and make a permanent switch to renewable energy.

TAKE ACTION! Tell our next President to just say no to offshore drilling.

Chanting "drill, baby, drill" is like a drug dealer saying, "come on, it'll make you feel good." It's being sold as a temporary fix, but the effects on the planet's health will last more than a lifetime.

Our addiction is making the planet sick while Big Oil is getting rich. Global warming threatens us all, and if we don't break our addiction, we'll ALL suffer the consequences.

The cycle of addiction must end now - and it's our generation that must stand up and make the change.