Palin, polar bears, Shell Oil and The Nature Conservancy
The following is a guest column by Christine MacDonald, author of the just-published “Green Inc: An Environmental Insider Reveals How a Good Cause Has Gone Bad” (Lyons Press):
What do Shell Oil, Sarah Palin and The Nature Conservancy have in common?
Theyve all sold out the polar bear.
Republican vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin staunchly opposed listing the polar bear as an endangered species, arguing that the federal designation could hurt drilling such as Shells plans to extract oil from the Chukchi Sea, where polar bears have lived for millennia.
The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest and best-funded environmental groups in the country, has taken millions of dollars from Shell. And, the environmental group has chosen to remain on the sidelines of the debate despite concerns that the offshore drilling will diminish the polar bears chances of survival.
Meanwhile, the Conservancy and several prominent nature groups which also take cash from the worlds largest oil companies have refused to comment on Palins and the oil companys fight to open the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve to drilling or the battle to maintain the ban on more offshore drilling on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, which House Democrats ceded on Wednesday.
Even the US Department of Energys own experts say sinking wells in ANWR and expanded offshore drilling would save only pennies a gallon on gas prices and it would take years to realize those price reductions. But the drilling could put at risk the already vulnerable ocean ecosystems and caribou herds, migratory birds, wolves and polar bears that call the Arctic refuge home.
Why wont these influential nonprofits speak out against drilling? Could the millions of dollars in oil industry donations be the reason?