Help prevent another Drilling Disaster, save Sea Turtles and other Wildlife
- by: Christiane Henker,www.grou.ps/saveouranimals ,www.defenders.org
- recipient: USDA, Barack Obama
Right now, roughly 5,000 barrels of oil a day are being spilled into the Gulf of Mexico southeast of Venice, Louisiana [1] %u2013 yet another awful outcome of the tragic explosion at what was supposed to be one of the safest and most advanced offshore drilling rigs in the world.
Help close the door on another drilling disaster. Urge the Obama administration to reject expanded offshore drilling exploration.
Delicate marine ecosystems %u2013 and the dolphins, sea turtles and other wildlife that need them to survive %u2013 are at risk. Local fisherman fear for their businesses, as an oil slick twice the size of Maryland nears the ecologically fragile Louisiana coastline. [2]
The situation is so desperate that yesterday the U.S. Coast Guard lit contaminated portions of the Gulf on fire in a desperate attempt to eliminate the spill before it reaches the coast. [3]
And as the tragedy unfolds, officials in the Obama administration are considering a proposal that could dramatically expand offshore drilling %u2013 and bring the threat of another tragedy like the one now unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico to your favorite beach.
Tell the Obama administration to reject Big Oil%u2019s plans to industrialize our coasts. Submit your comments now.
Comments on the administration%u2019s offshore drilling proposal are due Monday (May 3rd), so please send your message to federal officials right now!
It doesn%u2019t take a dramatic explosion and monster oil slick to see the perils of offshore drilling. For some marine wildlife, the simple act of determining whether and where to site an offshore rig can be a prelude to disaster.
Seismic surveys conducted during oil and gas exploration potentially can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss, induce behavioral changes and even physically injure marine mammals like bottlenose dolphins found along the Gulf coastline and bowhead whales in the waters of Alaska%u2019s Chukchi Sea.
Protect whales and dolphins from risky offshore drilling schemes. Say %u201CNo!%u201D to more destructive oil and gas exploration off our coasts.
Exposure to petroleum also causes tissue damage in the eyes, mouth, skin and lungs of dolphins and other marine mammals. And because they are at the top of the food chain, marine mammals like polar bears and whales will be exposed to the dangers of bioaccumulation of organic pollutants and metals.
For the threatened and endangered sea turtles found along the Gulf Coast, expanded oil drilling could mean the difference between survival and extinction.
Take action now to protect sea turtles, whales, dolphins and our coasts. Send your message to the Obama administration now.
https://secure.defenders.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1759&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=kdsj6xt2o7.app217a
The administration's desire to expand oil drilling risks the health of marine wildlife, fisheries and coastal economies. It continues to expand our dependence on fossil fuels at a time when we need to reduce our dependence in order to address the harmful impacts of climate change.
Specifically, I am concerned that the opening of vast new areas along America's coasts to harmful offshore oil and gas drilling would:
* Risk the survival of threatened and endangered sea turtles along the Gulf of Mexico;
* Endanger polar bears, walrus and bowhead whales in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska;
* Jeopardize commercial fisheries along the Gulf of Mexico; and
* Compromise the fragile coastal ecosystems that so much of America's wildlife depend on to survive.
The dangers of offshore oil and gas drilling are well known.
Each year, U.S. drilling operations send an average of 880,000 gallons of oil into the ocean. Oil is toxic to the plants and microscopic animals that form the basis of the marine food chain. It also poisons birds, mammals and fish. Those not killed outright can suffer a slow death from debilitating illness and injury.
Right now, roughly 5,000 barrels of oil a day are being spilled into the Gulf of Mexico southeast of Venice, Louisiana -- yet another awful outcome of the tragic explosion at what was supposed to be one of the safest and most advanced offshore drilling rigs in the world.
Even the act of looking for offshore oil and gas deposits can be deadly for wildlife. Seismic surveys conducted during oil and gas exploration cause temporary or permanent hearing loss, induce behavioral changes and even physically injure marine mammals.
For all of these reasons, I strongly urge you to abandon your plans to expand offshore oil and gas exploration off America's coasts.
Thank you for considering my comments.
Sincerly,
we, the undersigned
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