Ohio Chapter

NEWS RELEASE

Firefighter Urged President Bush to Protect the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, Now Calls on Senate to Act

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club began airing radio ads in Columbus on Monday featuring Portland firefighter Ed Hall, an environmental hero. Hall and four other firefighters who helped with recovery efforts at the World Trade Center were handpicked to welcome President Bush at the airport when he visited Oregon in January. Hall used his face time with the President to shake Bush's hand and say, "Mr. President, it really is an honor to meet you, but you don't have to drill for oil in the Arctic."

Hall explains the reasoning behind his message to the President in the ads: "If you look at maybe being able to recover six months worth of oil ten years down the road, that's not worth the cost to the ecosystem of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

The ads target Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH), John McCain (R-AZ), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Max Cleland (D-GA), Zell Miller (D-GA), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Arlen Specter (R-PA), and Fred Thompson (R-TN), who have yet to publicly demand protection of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. The ads ask residents to call their Senator to urge him or her to oppose Arctic drilling and instead support a balanced energy plan that promotes conservation and efficiency, raises the miles per gallon of our cars and SUVs, and uses more solar and wind power.

The Senate plans to start debate on Senator Daschle's energy bill the week of February 25. Though the bill does not contain a provision to open the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling, Senator Murkowski (R-AK) is expected to try to add this controversial amendment on the Senate floor. The House of Representatives passed a dirty and dangerous energy bill last summer that would reinforce our dependence on fossil fuels and open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil companies.

"Soon Senators will have the opportunity to vote on an energy bill that, in stark contrast to the bill passed by the House, is based on the premise that the best way to ensure our energy security is through higher fuel economy standards and greater use of renewable energy such as wind and solar power," said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope. "By keeping drilling out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Senate can affirm what the American people already know-that we don't have to sacrifice national treasures like the Arctic Refuge to meet our country's energy needs."

Hall used his once-in-a-lifetime meeting with a President to speak his convictions, earning him respect nationwide. In his honor, the Sierra Club asked internet users what they might have said if they were in Hall's shoes. To see the responses, please go to http://www.sierraclub.org/currents/facetime/comments.asp. To read a transcript of an interview with Ed Hall, visit http://www.sierraclub.org/currents/facetime/firefighter.asp.

Sample ad script follows. To receive a copy of the ad, please contact Marc Conte at 614-461-0734.

Sierra Club
Radio :60
"Ed Hall Says it All" (OHIO)
2/6/02

Narrator:

To recognize his work at ground zero in New York, Oregon firefighter Ed Hall was given the honor of meeting President Bush. He used the opportunity to ask the President to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:

Ed Hall:

"I said, Mr. President it really is an honor to meet you, but you don't need to drill for oil in the Arctic...if you look at maybe being able to recover six months of oil, ten years down the road, that's not worth the cost to the ecosystem of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

Narrator:

Drilling the Arctic Refuge won't solve our energy problems. The answer is conservation and efficiency, raising the miles per gallon of our cars and SUVs, and using more solar and wind power.

Find out if your Senator, Mike DeWine, agrees. Call him at 614-469-5186. Ask him not to drill the Arctic and to please pass a sensible energy bill, for our families, for our future.

Paid for by the Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club.

###

Report all problems with this web site to the webmaster.

Sierra Club® and One Earth, One Chance® are registered trademarks of the Sierra Club. © 2001 Sierra Club. Sierra Club Website Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.