More than 250 scientists, including Edward O. Wilson and Paul Ehrlich, sent a letter to President Clinton this week urging him to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska from oil development. Many enviros have been calling on Clinton to declare the area a national monument before he leaves office, but Clinton has announced no plans to do so. Meanwhile, Alaska Sen. Frank Murkowski (R) held a press conference in Washington, D.C., to say it’s a “myth” that oil drilling can’t be done in the refuge without harming wildlife and the ecosystem. He said that caribou have thrived in Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay, where drilling has been going on for 30 years. “They’re not shot at. They’re not run down by snowmobiles,” he said. Murkowski also said that polar bears like to walk on pipelines because they’re warm.
