When the environmentalists and conservationists of this country beat back the latest attempt to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Bush administration took its revenge by immediately opening up drilling in 389,000 acres of the sensitive ecosystem near Teshekpuk Lake in Alaska's North Slope. This was an area so sensitive that even James Watt didn't want to drill there.
I'd been waiting to see if the enviros could sue to stop this action, and apparently they're trying.
Today it was announced that an 18-page lawsuit was filed in Juneau to stop the drilling as it violates the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws which call for an adequate analysis of the environmental impact before drilling is allowed.
The groups suing are the National Audubon Society, Alaska Wilderness League, Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society.
Two lessons here: 1) Sometimes the best work that green groups do is in the courts. It may not be flashy and it may not make the headlines of the New York Times, but a lot of money and work go into blocking Bush administration actions in the courts. Since Bush took office, the work of court-based groups like EarthJustice has doubled in size.
And 2) This is why Pombo wants to weaken the Endangered Species Act. Because often it is the last wall of defense in stopping environmentally reckless development by the Republicans.
Drilling near Teshekpuk Lake wasn't just about oil. It was about Bush, Cheney, and Norton getting back at the American citizens and environmental groups who fought tooth and nail to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This was their payback.
Best of luck to the enviros as they try to find justice in the courts. You can read more about the original Bush administration decision on the Wilderness Society website.