THANKS FOR HELPING! PLEASE SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Writing a letter to the editor (LTE) to your local or regional newspaper is an effective and easy way to reach a large audience with your message. This is an important tool for organizing — especially now! LTEs are published on a newspaper or news website opinion page, which is one of the most read sections overall. The Biden administration needs to hear from people across the country! Congressional staffers also tell us that members of Congress keep a close eye on media coverage, including LTEs in their local papers, so they can keep a “pulse” on issues of importance to their constituents.

ACT NOW: Write an LTE to show industry "we are watching" and bidding on leases in the Arctic Refuge is folly

President Biden implemented a suite of actions to protect diverse landscapes across America’s Arctic, recognizing the importance of Alaska’s public lands and waters for communities, biodiversity and our global climate.

Unfortunately, in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law by the Trump administration, included a controversial provision mandating two oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The first of these lease sales was held on January 6, 2021, during President Trump’s final days in office (this sale was a dismal failure). 

The law requires the second lease sale to occur no later than the end of 2024. Currently, the Biden administration is advancing preparations for this sale (as is required by law), with a critical opportunity to ensure it incorporates the most stringent environmental protections and restrictions possible. President Biden has moved into the final steps in the second lease sale to be finalized before he leaves office on 01/20. 

Bidding on leases to drill the Arctic Refuge is reckless and unnecessary. It won’t solve our energy challenges, lower gas prices, or boost the economy—it’s a bad deal for people, wildlife, and the planet.

Showing up to this lease sale means aligning with climate destruction, failed economics, and human rights violations. Any potential bidders have until Monday, January 6^th to decide whether to bid on leases in one of the most ecologically sensitive and culturally significant landscapes. Join us in putting potential bidders on notice and let them know that the world is watching.

Please write a letter-to-the-editor today. Use these talking points and the ideas in the sample LTEs below or craft your own letter, letting your passion and own experiences come through!

Two sample letters:

1. Drilling the Arctic is a Financial Gamble We Can’t Afford  220 words

Thanks to Trump’s 2017 Tax Act, we’re now just weeks away from a second lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, mandated by law. But drilling in the Arctic isn’t the economic savior it’s made out to be—it’s a massive financial gamble that threatens our economy and a vital ecosystem.

If this election proved anything, it’s that Americans are desperate to lower prices. But drilling in the Arctic won’t fix that. The Arctic is one of the most expensive places on Earth to drill. The harsh conditions and remote location require specialized equipment and infrastructure, making it a risky and costly endeavor. Oil companies need prices to stay sky-high just to break even—and with the global shift toward renewables, that’s simply not sustainable.

Even if drilling succeeded, it won’t lower gas prices. Oil is part of a global market—companies sell to the highest bidder, no matter where it’s drilled. In fact, record U.S. oil exports are driving up global prices, contributing to the volatility we’re feeling at the pump right now.

Protecting the Arctic isn’t just about saving the environment—it’s about protecting our economy. We need to prioritize investments in clean energy and ensure the Arctic remains available for future generations. Drilling there is a bad bet, and it’s one we can’t afford to make.

2. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge – Bad Bet for Industry   199 words

Thanks to Trump’s 2017 Tax Act, we’re now just weeks away from a second lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, mandated by law. But drilling in the Arctic isn’t the economic savior it’s made out to be—it’s a massive financial gamble that threatens our economy and a vital ecosystem.

If the election proved anything, it’s that Americans are desperate to lower prices. But drilling in the Arctic won’t fix that. The Arctic is one of the most expensive places on Earth to drill. The harsh conditions and remote location require specialized equipment and infrastructure, making it a risky and costly endeavor. Oil companies need prices to stay sky-high just to break even—and with the global shift toward renewables, that’s simply not sustainable.

Drilling the Arctic is a long-term gamble that would lock us into long term fossil fuel dependence while slowing the transition to clean energy. Meanwhile, the Arctic Refuge is home to unique ecosystems, climate resilience, wildlife, communities, and outdoor recreation worth billions.

Drilling there is a bad bet, and it’s one we can’t afford to make. We need to prioritize investments in clean energy and ensure the Arctic remains available for future generations.

Additional background and talking points:
PLACES WE PROTECT: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

• The Arctic Refuge is home to iconic species like polar bears and caribou. These habitats are irreplaceable.
• Drilling risks catastrophic oil spills in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.
• Companies are already struggling with melting permafrost in the Arctic—an ominous sign of the Arctic’s fragility.
• The target area for the lease sale is known as the "biological heart" of the Arctic Refuge, the Coastal Plain is critical for polar bears, and migratory birds, and serves as the calving grounds for the Porcupine Caribou Herd. It holds profound cultural significance for the Gwich’in people, who call it Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.)
• The first Arctic Refuge lease sale in 2021 was a disaster, generating less than 1% of promised revenue. Major oil companies largely stayed away, and the few corporations that did show up to bid in the lease sale later chose to pay millions of dollars to exit their leases or had them revoked by the Biden administration.
• There is widespread opposition: Gwich’in Nation and Iñupiat allies, environmental organizations, and millions of Americans oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge. The risks to culture, biodiversity, and the climate are far too great.
• The refuge’s 19.6 million acres are home to an abundance of wildlife—musk oxen, wolves, caribou, and polar bears—and are the summer breeding grounds for millions of birds that migrate here from six continents and all 50 states. Its lands and waterways are also vital to the Gwich’in and other local Indigenous communities who have relied on these rich ecosystems for millennia. The debate over what to do with this landscape has raged for nearly a century, but now, in the midst of a climate crisis that’s wreaking havoc at every latitude but warming the poles at astonishing rates, there’s broad consensus that drilling the Arctic for fossil fuels is beyond a terrible idea.

Follow these tips:

1. 1.

Respond to an article in the paper.

1. 1. The best letters are those that are in response to an article that ran in the paper, and many papers require that you reference the specific article. Begin your letter by citing the original story by name, date and author. Some papers do occasionally print LTEs because of a lack of coverage on a specific issue. If this is the case, begin your LTE by stating your concern that the paper hasn't focused on this important issue.
2. 2.

Follow the paper’s directions.

1. 1. Information on how and to whom to submit a letter-to-the-editor is usually found right on the letters page in your paper. Follow these guidelines to increase the likelihood that your letter will be printed.
2. 3.

Share your expertise.

1. 1. If you have relevant qualifications to the topic you're addressing, be sure to include that in your submission.
2. 4.

Refer to the legislator or corporation you are trying to influence by name.

1. 1. If your letter includes a legislator’s name, in almost all cases staff will give him or her the letter to read personally.
2. 5.

Write the letter in your own words.

1. 1. Editors want letters in their papers to be original. Feel free to use our messaging tips, but also take the time to write the letter in your own words.
2. 6.

Keep your letter short, focused and interesting.

1. 1. In general, letters should be under 200 words — often 150 or less is best. Stay focused on one (or, at the most, two) main point(s) and get to it in the first two sentences. If possible, include interesting facts, relevant personal experience, and any local connections to the issue that you may have.
2. 7.

Include your contact information.

1. Be sure to include your name, address, and a daytime phone number. The paper will contact you before printing your letter.

Questions?
If you are interested in writing and submitting an LTE or have a question, contact Lois (at) AlaskaWild.org. If you send in an LTE, we'd love to hear about it so that we can keep an eye out for it. Or better yet, let us know when you get published!