Have you ever taken your family to the Rocky Mountains, or gone hiking there with friends?
We all know how awe-inspiring these national treasures can be -- but Big Oil wants to literally melt some of them for private profit.
This sounds crazy, but it's true. Oil companies are pushing to open vast sections of the Rockies for dirty tar sands and oil shale mining, and it's up to us to stop them. Oil shale mining requires dangerous experimental technology that heats rocks to nearly 1000 degrees to squeeze out tiny amounts of oil -- destroying habitats and cooking the climate along the way.
Sierra Club supporters like you have mobilized to shut down destructive oil projects before -- and it's critical we stop this one dead in its tracks. Tell the federal government: Don't let Big Oil melt public land for private profit.
Under President Bush, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opened over two million acres of public land to tar sands and oil shale mining. President Obama's administration is now considering dramatically reducing the amount of land available for these destructive projects. We have until April 30th to submit 20,000 public comments in support of this plan, showing that there is broad public backing for the climate, wildlife, and scarce Western water resources.
This comment period will determine the fate of the West for decades to come. Write the BLM by April 30th and let them know you strongly oppose tar sands and oil shale.
Along with the oil shale development that melts rocks, Big Oil also wants public land for tar sands mining -- the dirty oil behind the Keystone XL pipeline, and one of the dirtiest fossil fuels in the world. If allowed, these tar sands mines would be the first of their kind in the United States, destroying entire landscapes and poisoning vital water supplies. We can't give away our land to these corporations only to see them further cook the climate and destroy Utah the way they're already destroying the Boreal Forest.
Can you imagine the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, or Utah stripped, their majestic rivers and wildlife lost forever? These lands are part of America's national heritage -- we must preserve them for future generations.
Without a significant public outcry, Big Oil will immorally destroy public land for private profit. The Rocky Mountains need you to be their voice -- take action now to make sure we reach 20,000 comments before the deadline.
Michael Marx
Sierra Club, Beyond Oil Director
P.S. After you take action, be sure to forward this alert to your friends and colleagues!