Stop the Drilling Before it Starts

This fact sheet advocates for the permanent withdrawal of the U.S. Arctic and Atlantic Oceans from oil and gas leasing. It argues that such a move is necessary to meet Paris Agreement commitments, avoid 'carbon lock-in' from massive infrastructure investments, and prevent severe ecological and economic risks from oil spills. The document highlights that proven fossil fuel reserves already exceed the carbon budget for limiting warming to 2°C and that clean energy alternatives are growing rapidly enough to replace the need for these unproven reserves.

• The U.S. President has the legal authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permanently withdraw any marine area from future oil and gas leasing, a power used by multiple presidents from Eisenhower to Obama.
• Developing oil and gas in the Arctic and Atlantic would create 'carbon lock-in,' where high sunk costs in infrastructure incentivize continued fossil fuel use beyond what is scientifically justifiable for the climate.
• Exploiting reserves in the U.S. Arctic Ocean alone could release 15.8 billion tons of CO2, which is equivalent to the emissions from all U.S. transportation modes over a 9-year period.
• The timeline for Arctic and Atlantic oil production is incompatible with climate goals, as production would take decades to come online, arriving after the necessary transition to cleaner fuels must have already occurred.
• Clean energy potential is significant; just 25% of the U.S. offshore wind potential could match the nation's entire existing fossil fuel-based electricity generating capacity.
• Oil production in the Arctic's Chukchi Sea carries a 75% probability of at least one oil spill exceeding 1,000 barrels, with standard response methods likely to be less effective in harsh Arctic conditions.
• A major oil spill in the Atlantic could devastate coastal economies worth over $40 billion annually, potentially risking 244,000 seafood-supported jobs and $650 million in annual catches.

APA

Earthjustice (2016). Stop the Drilling Before it Starts. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/stop20the20drilling20before20it20starts20factsheet20lcv-ej-nextgen-nrdc-ea-club.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Stop the Drilling Before it Starts. 2016. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/stop20the20drilling20before20it20starts20factsheet20lcv-ej-nextgen-nrdc-ea-club.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Stop the Drilling Before it Starts |date=May 2016 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/stop20the20drilling20before20it20starts20factsheet20lcv-ej-nextgen-nrdc-ea-club.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2016stop, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Stop the Drilling Before it Starts}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2016}, month = may, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/stop20the20drilling20before20it20starts20factsheet20lcv-ej-nextgen-nrdc-ea-club.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }