OPIRG Protests BP’s Drilling

To the Editor:

On April 12, seven members of Ohio PIRG took part in a national day of action at British Petroleum headquarters in Chicago. They protested BP’s plans for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge alongside students from all across the Midwest. This protest was coordinated with similar protests at other BP headquarters around the country.
Ohio PIRG state board chair, sophomore Winston Vaughan, took part in a discussion between the student activists and two BP representatives. BP’s representatives were very cordial, and expressed a desire to have ongoing dialogue on the issue of drilling in the Refuge. Though BP disagreed with the activists on “certain points,” Tom Mueller, public relations representative, admitted “oil drilling is inherently a dirty business.” This said, it is hard to understand how BP can claim that drilling in the Refuge will not damage the delicate ecosystem.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a unique national treasure. It is one of the last bits of pristine wilderness left in the United States. British Petroleum claims to be “Beyond Petroleum,” yet they’re willing to irreversibly impact the Refuge for a mere six months’ worth of oil. In just a few weeks, Ohio PIRG has gotten over one-third of the Oberlin student body to pledge not to work for BP-Amoco until they cancel their plans to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

–Lindsay Baker
–Avery Book
–Lauren Goshen
–Ben Newhouse
–Mel Poague
–Michelle Sharkey
College first-years

–Winston Vaughan
College sophomore

Ohio PIRG