With the U.S. Senate expected to take up the budget resolution this week – which would pave the way for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – the League of Conservation Voters today announced a $200,000 campaign to urge members of Congress to oppose opening up the iconic landscape to polluters.

  In addition to advancing massive tax giveaways to millionaires, billionaires and corporations, the Senate budget resolution includes reconciliation instructions that pave the way to allow drilling in the Arctic Refuge with just 51 votes – the same process Republican leadership attempted to use to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

“Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not a budget or tax issue, and any arguments about it reducing the deficit are absurd,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “But Republican leaders are eager to sell out one of our nation’s most iconic landscapes while pushing tax cuts for the wealthy – a win-win for Big Oil. There’s been 30 years of bipartisan opposition to drilling in the Arctic Refuge, and people across the country are standing together once again to say we won’t let Congress sell out our environment, our health, and our communities.”

LCV is encouraging people nationwide to contact their representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge. The new campaign includes digital ads running in the districts of five members of the U.S. House of Representatives who can play an important role in keeping existing protections for the Arctic Refuge: Reps. Brian Mast (R, FL-18), Erik Paulsen (R, MN-3), Dan Donovan (R, NY-11), John Faso (R, NY-19), and Dave Reichert (R, WA-8).

The Arctic Refuge is America’s most iconic wildlife refuge and one of the largest remaining intact ecosystems in the world. It has sustained the Gwich’in people for centuries, which is why they call it “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.” The Arctic Refuge is also home to an incredible array of wildlife, including caribou, wolves, polar bears, and nearly 200 species of migratory birds.

 The $200,000 push is part of LCV’s “Our Lands, Our Vote” campaign, which has been engaging people across the country to stand up for our public lands and waters since launching in June.