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Help Prevent Oil Spills In Alaska’s Coastal Waters!

Target: Members of Congress
Sponsored by: Alaska Oceans Program

An oil-soaked sea otter in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

Once again, AlaskaÂ’s pristine waters have fallen victim to a devastating oil spill. On December 8, 2004, a Malaysian freighter, Selendang Ayu, ran aground in the Aleutian Islands after its engine failed in severe weather. Six humans were lost and at least 40,000 gallons of oil leaked into one of the worldÂ’s most remote and ecologically rich wildlife refuges, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. This was the worst oil spill in U.S. waters since the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge is home to a wide array of sea birds and marine mammals, and is part of the rich North Pacific fishery, which generates nearly $2 billion in revenue each year. Based on the legacy of the Exxon spill, we know this disaster will have a lasting impact on endangered marine species.

WhatÂ’s clear from the tragedy in the Aleutians, is that AlaskaÂ’s shipping routes need stronger regulations in place. The Selendang Ayu was traveling one of the worldÂ’s most heavily trafficked routes Â– and ran aground in an area so remote that it was nearly impossible to rescue human victims in a timely manner and limit damage to threatened marine life.

Call upon Congress to require ships using Alaskan routes to meet minimum safety standards, and operate with well-trained crews and adequate resources to respond quickly to emergencies. Alaskan waters deserve at least these basic protections!

deadline: 1-7-2006
goal: 12,000

17,321
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Dear [Your Congressman],

I am writing to encourage you, as my elected representative, to learn from the circumstances of the recent Selendang Ayu shipping accident in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. We cannot let disastrous oil spills such as this, or those of similar magnitude to the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, happen again. This tragedy exemplifies that there is a real need to balance human safety and animal health in the Aleutian Islands and the Great Circle Shipping Route. It also shows that we need to exercise extreme caution in opening any refuge areas to human activity as this spill provides a clear example of the consequences.

Protecting Alaska’s coastal waters from devastating oil spills is important because:
[your comment]

A congressional investigation is essential to establishing the measures that need to be put in place to mitigate the negative impact of shipping traffic on Alaska's vital resources. These measures should include requiring ships that use Alaska’s coastal waters to have double hulls or hulls with minimum hull thickness and strength; meet minimum safety standards; provide sufficient training for crews; and possess adequate financial resources to ensure that teams are fully equipped and able to respond quickly in emergencies.

Thank you for considering my comments.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

We signed the “Help Prevent Oil Spills In Alaska’s Coastal Waters!” petition!

# 17,300:

4:14 am PDT, Oct 13, Kaytie Irvine, California

# 17,299:

1:37 am PDT, Oct 12, Vici Doubek, Washington

# 17,298:

8:19 am PDT, Oct 11, Klarabella Janssen, Netherlands

# 17,297:

3:29 pm PDT, Oct 10, C. Romanelli, Illinois

# 17,296:

1:48 pm PDT, Oct 9, Madelin Castillo, California

# 17,295:

1:27 pm PDT, Oct 7, John Miller, Illinois

# 17,294:

7:31 pm PDT, Sep 23, Annette Leary, New York
What a sin that companies are killing our world. animals have to die for our carelessness,greed etc.I'm glad for petitions we have a say in our world.. stop the greed and help the animals for a change

# 17,293:

9:59 am PDT, Aug 1, Name not displayed, Texas

# 17,292:

9:17 pm PDT, Jul 22, Dana Szemereta, North Carolina

# 17,291:

9:44 am PDT, Jul 16, Norma Ortiz, California
they are killing animals who dont have to be harmed!!!!!!

# 17,290:

7:49 pm PDT, Jul 10, Catherine Godfrey, Canada

# 17,289:

1:36 am PDT, Jul 5, William Harper, Georgia

# 17,288:

7:37 am PDT, Jun 16, Hazel Matich, Illinois

# 17,287:

2:09 am PDT, Jun 1, Erika Stone, Virginia

# 17,286:

10:13 pm PDT, May 29, Lorrie Lau, Canada
YOU'RE KILLING REAL CREATURES!!

# 17,285:

6:26 am PDT, Apr 29, TAYLOR WEIDNER, Colorado

# 17,284:

8:48 am PDT, Apr 24, Robert Jones, Pennsylvania
While we attack nature, we cannot expect ideal conditions from it. As it stands, we are on a path to doom. Chart a better course.

# 17,283:

8:22 pm PDT, Apr 23, Allison Baxter, Colorado
Alaska is a priceless ecosystem that should be protected!

# 17,282:

3:10 pm PDT, Apr 22, Melissa Bardwell, Washington

# 17,281:

7:40 am PDT, Apr 21, Nicky Elizabeth, Maine

# 17,280:

4:13 pm PDT, Apr 16, John Tessmer, California

# 17,279:

11:07 pm PDT, Apr 5, Victoria Thomas, Wyoming

# 17,278:

6:53 pm PDT, Apr 4, Lynda LaSage, California

# 17,277:

4:15 pm PDT, Mar 29, Michelle Catena, Pennsylvania

# 17,276:

12:34 am PDT, Mar 27, Jeanne Austin, Pennsylvania
Destroying pristine wilderness for a pollutant, called "Oil". Congress do your job, take care of U.S. and the Earth's environment. If you don't, we will all be sorry in the end!

# 17,275:

11:42 am PDT, Mar 18, Aiz T, Canada

# 17,274:

9:59 pm PST, Feb 18, Jon Marshall Jr, Alabama

# 17,273:

7:19 am PST, Jan 25, Zaina Escandon Francis, Guatemala

# 17,272:

11:08 am PST, Jan 23, Joseph Culhane, Minnesota
Let's make some smart decisions and shift away from the old paradigm's toward clean and efficient renewable energies so these types of "accidents" do not happen anymore. Thank you.

# 17,271:

7:53 am PST, Jan 16, Lisa Cowdrey, North Carolina

# 17,270:

4:36 pm PST, Jan 12, Dave Sennett, Pennsylvania
we need a better more secure way to export oil, something has to be done now before its to late.

# 17,269:

8:06 am PST, Jan 6, Andrea Leary, Florida

# 17,268:

9:12 am PST, Jan 4, Name not displayed, California

# 17,267:

10:41 pm PST, Jan 2, Melanie Leary, Texas

# 17,266:

7:39 am PST, Dec 31, Annemarie Vidal, New Mexico

# 17,265:

9:15 pm PST, Dec 30, Robin Davis, Pennsylvania

# 17,264:

6:59 am PST, Dec 27, Jessica-Dawn Drouin, Canada

# 17,263:

2:18 am PST, Dec 27, Julia Burwell, Washington

# 17,262:

5:17 pm PST, Dec 26, Sally Dykstra, Georgia

# 17,261:

1:37 pm PST, Dec 24, Danille Baptista, Alabama

# 17,260:

7:20 am PST, Dec 24, Name not displayed, Connecticut

# 17,259:

6:00 am PST, Dec 14, Joseph Klawiter, Virginia
Alaska'a coastal waters deserve protection and you know that!

# 17,258:

8:03 am PST, Dec 4, Peggy Singh, California

# 17,257:

11:08 pm PST, Dec 2, Lateasha Nate' Edelman, California
For one, saving our ocean waters is important because as a 15 year old I believe it is our duty as human beings to protect all our surroundings and all that was put on this Earth for us. It should be natural instinct to want to help out all these poor creatures who suffer each and every single day all because we choose to ignore these situations....He who doesn't listen doesn't understand and he who doesn't understand doesn't care.

# 17,256:

11:33 am PST, Nov 30, Jennifer Megeney, Canada

# 17,255:

9:49 am PST, Nov 24, Anna Krebbs, Alabama

# 17,254:

1:40 am PST, Nov 18, James L. grizzell, California

# 17,253:

8:36 am PST, Nov 16, Diana Martz*AnimalWarrior*, Ohio

# 17,252:

8:11 am PST, Nov 11, Patricia Gray, Ohio

# 17,251:

2:10 pm PST, Nov 9, Michael Barth, Illinois

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Help Prevent Oil Spills In Alaska’s Coastal Waters!

This petition has been closed.