Say Yes to Plolar Bear abitats!

		Dear Kimberly-Ann, I'm writing to share some disturbing news: the Obama Administration has given Shell a  tentative go-ahead to begin drilling next  summer in the Beaufort Sea, off the coast  of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Please read my response to this potentially  disastrous decision, which appears as an  Op-Ed in today's New York Times.  (The text of my Op-Ed piece also appears  at the bottom of this email message  for your convenience.) Thanks to your tenacious support, NRDC  has staved off one attempt after another by Shell to drill in this sensitive Arctic  ecosystem -- home to polar bears, bowhead whales and a stunning array of other  vulnerable wildlife. I'm sure you agree: in the wake of BP's  Deepwater Horizon catastrophe last year --  and Shell's own pipeline spill in the North  Sea just last week -- we simply cannot let  this oil giant roll the dice with a pristine  Arctic environment, where cleaning up a  spill would be all but impossible. NRDC is now mobilizing to challenge Shell's  plan on every front, including in federal court  if necessary. I will be in touch with you again soon, as we galvanize our army of activists to  lodge a furious protest with the Obama  Administration. In the meantime, you can be sure that  NRDC will not back down from the next  round of this fight with Shell. I know we  will have your strong support. Sincerely, Frances Beinecke President Natural Resources Defense Council