57,000 pro-life Christians signed the Evangelical Environmental Network’s (EEN) petition calling for the protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Arctic Refuge is a sacred place, and pro-life Christians know that ongoing attempts to open the land to oil and gas drilling is an affront to God’s creation and the Indigenous sovereignty of the Gwich’in people. 

Members of Congress have the opportunity to protect this sacred place by repealing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Oil and Gas Program through the Build Back Better (BBB) Act. We call on decision makers to ensure that this critical aspect of the BBB Act does not get left behind in negotiations.

The Arctic Refuge is home to over 200 kinds of birds and 37 types of mammals, including the unique Porcupine caribou. Seismic testing for oil would cause permanent damage to the stunning arctic landscape, disturb or even destroy polar bear hibernation dens, and disrupt the caribou migratory path. The Refuge is also home to the Indigenous Gwich’in people, who view the caribou as sacred and rely on them for food and clothing. Oil and gas exploration and drilling will cause irreversible damage to this exceptional, majestic landscape and hurt the people who call it home. 

EEN has long advocated for the protection of the Refuge, and over 120,000 pro-life Christians have felt compelled to take action on this issue in the past few years alone. It is time to finally protect this sacred land from oil and gas drilling and exploration. Members of Congress have a moral responsibility to care for God’s creation and the people who call it home. Pro-life Christians are watching, and we will not accept anything less.