Saving Alaska

As far as current events, I wanted to include some environmental issues in this blog. One especially important issue to me is Alaska. Having been there, I can say it is truly the last frontier of our world--one of the only genuinely pristine areas we have left. And its natural wonders are constantly being threatened by oil exploration, logging, and unsustainable development. This is a result of the Bush administration giving in to lobbyists from big oil and its failure to keep environmental regulations. Just in February, President Bush signed the Tongass Land Management Plan, which opens up 3.4 millon acres to logging in the Tongass Forest. This could mean major habitat destruction in one of our most treasured regions. The article about this can be found here: http://www.sitkawild.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=161&Itemid=272. A new plan was also passed to allow more offshore oil drilling in Alaska, which threatens the polar bear population to extinction and could cause devistating oil spills. And we all know what happens when a big oil spill happens: the fish population is nearly destroyed, local fishermen are out of work, and the oil companies will lobby the judicial system for decades in an effort to not have to pay compensation to the fishermen. This is exactly what happened with Exxon Mobil in the Prince William Sound. If anyone has a good idea about how to help solve this issue (who to write to, donate to, etc.), please leave a comment. The good news is that if Obama or Clinton win the presidency, the environment will be regulated as it should be. We can only hope...