Help protect sea otters from one of their greatest threats!
Past outer continental shelf land acts are woefully incomplete, as companies can still obtain exploration or drilling leases. Such activities expose the West Coast to exploitation at the benefit of big oil and natural gas companies and to the detriment to local wildlife.
Sea otters are especially at risk - their range is so small along the West Coast that a single oil spill could decimate their habitat and population so severely that the Southern Sea Otter could become extinct.
For these reasons Friends of the Sea Otter advocates for the passage of the No New Drilling Act of 2011. This bill would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to make the outer continental shelf off-limits to developers of oil, gas, or any other minerals.
This act, if passed, would be an important step toward ensuring the survival and recovery of the southern sea otter while also preserving the unique coastal ecosystem that it supports.
Dear Representative,
I write because I am deeply concerned about the welfare and survival of the Southern Sea Otter and the ecosystems it supports on the West Coast of the United States. I implore you to support the No New Drilling Act of 2011 (H.R. 261) because this act will prevent the potential irreversible annihilation of the Southern Sea Otter.
The range of the Southern Sea Otter is so small that presently, if there were to be an oil spill, it could render the entire species extinct. Because sea otters are a keystone species in the coastal ecosystem, the coastal marine environment as a whole would be drastically altered.
This bill would prevent any oil companies from unnecessarily threatening our shores. By prohibiting the issuance of exploration and development leases, the No New Drilling Act of 2011 would thus close a gaping hole in our coastal protection laws.
As a constituent and supporter of Friends of the Sea Otter, I strongly urge you to support this bill. Many have worked tirelessly over decades to help sea otters recover from near-extinction. It is devastating to think that in one instant all that progress would be wiped away. The sea otter is a species we cannot afford to lose.
Thank you for considering my point of view on this matter. I believe it is an important issue and would like to see the No New Drilling Act pass in order to ensure the protection of this important animal and the preservation of the coastal ecosystem that depends on it.
Sincerely,
