State of the Union & Arctic Refuge Oil Drilling; Statement of Rodger Schlickeisen, President, Defenders of Wildlife

(01/29/2002) - Today’s announcement that Teamsters President James Hoffa’s pro-drilling stance on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has earned him a seat in the president’s box at this evening’s State of the Union Address simply emphasizes how intensely political this issue has become. Mr. Hoffa’s pro-drilling position pits him against majorities of union households, and a majority of the American people, according to recent polling.

The fact is, most unions that have taken a stand on arctic refuge drilling oppose it, as do majorities of rank and file union households. Unions like the Service Employees International Union; the Communications Workers of America; District 11, United Steelworkers of America; the National Writers Union (UAW local 1981); the National Federation of Independent Unions; and United Electrical, Radio, and the Machine Workers of America say no to oil drilling in the arctic refuge.

It’s simply not worth it to trash this natural treasure for about as much oil as this country consumes in just six months. The Teamsters have been sold a bill of goods on the bounty of jobs that would supposedly flow from arctic refuge oil. Instead of the outdated, widely discredited jobs estimate by the American Petroleum Institute that Mr. Hoffa clings to, independent analyses by Dean Baker of the Center for Economic Policy and Research and others have shown convincingly that arctic refuge drilling jobs would be a trickle, rather than a flood, and would be dwarfed by the good jobs – union jobs – that would flow from a serious effort to boost this country’s use of renewable sources like wind and solar energy.

###

Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 425,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues. To stay current on hot topics in wildlife conservation, subscribe to DENlines, Defenders of Wildlife's electronic update and action alert network.

###

Contact(s):

Brad DeVries, (202) 772-2037