Save The Day For Bristol Bay

While we are quite rightly preoccupied with Dubya and the Iraq war, it should be noted that our illustrious red state president recently lifted a drilling ban in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, under the pressure of Repug Senator Ted Stevens (though I doubt Dubya had to be coerced on this one).

As noted in this Seattle Times article…

The area is a major fishing ground for North Pacific fleets, including many crab, salmon, pollock and cod vessels that are based in Puget Sound. The bay also supports an abundance of wildlife, including major seabird populations and marine mammals that include the endangered North Pacific right whale.

The bay is a part of the Bering Sea, notorious for winter storms with high winds and high seas that could increase the risks of a major oil spill.

"Why risk ruining a billion-dollar fishery, a valuable sport-hunting and fishing industry, a critical resource for Native Alaskans and one of the most important places for marine wildlife populations in the Bering Sea?" asked Bill Eichbaum, managing director and vice president of the marine portfolio at World Wildlife Fund.

This takes you to an online petition you can sign to do something about it (yes – like you also I’m sure, I get inundated with petitions to sign in order to get Dubya to try and do the right thing, and he almost never does without a threat of some kind, but when it comes to the environment, the importance of activism can’t be overstated).

And as you can read here, there is just about nothing Ted Stevens wouldn’t do to trash the environment so he can make a buck.