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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, AlaskaĀ’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 worldĀ’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.

WhatĀ’s clear from the tragedy in the Aleutians, is that AlaskaĀ’s shipping routes need stronger regulations in place. The Selendang Ayu was traveling one of the worldĀ’s most heavily trafficked routes Ā– 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!

# 350:

1:28 pm PST, Jan 12, Patty Balya, Florida

# 349:

1:28 pm PST, Jan 12, Brittany Beatty, New York
So much wildlife lives in the waters there, oil ruins the ecosystems and damages the whole world.

# 348:

1:28 pm PST, Jan 12, Carol Tozer, California

# 347:

1:28 pm PST, Jan 12, Rob Moore, New York
We must protect and preserve this vital ecosystem.

# 346:

1:28 pm PST, Jan 12, Alexandra Houck, Massachusetts

# 345:

1:28 pm PST, Jan 12, R Wolfgong, Pennsylvania
Once lost, this valuable asset to our country can never be reclaimed. Protect it now!!!

# 344:

1:28 pm PST, Jan 12, Matt Brunner, California

# 343:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Michael King, Virginia

# 342:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Patricia Lee, Pennsylvania
Protect OUR WILDLIFE!!!!!!

# 341:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Kathryn Howard, Washington
The Alaska waters are pristine...they must be protected for human and for native animals survival and ecosystem.

# 340:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Zona Hays, Kansas
We must work harder to protect the animals and the whole environment. We are depleting all our the earths resources and it can't keep giving back when we don't. This is the only planet we have. We must all wake up and do something to stop all of the raping of our home!

# 339:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Name not displayed, Arizona

# 338:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Sandra Burditt, Ohio
The Alaskan environment cannot stand any more spills from ships. Please protect the coastal waters.

# 337:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Koko Battig, New York

# 336:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Gail Herath-Veiby, Massachusetts

# 335:

1:27 pm PST, Jan 12, Debbie Lovato, California
This cannot keep happening! There should be tougher regulations in place to protect the wildlife who do not drive cars, have petroleum heating etc. they just live their lives out there and it sickens me that people have less regard for their lives in the interest of commerce.

# 334:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Kristin Boggs, Georgia

# 333:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Terilee Peavler, Tennessee

# 332:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, J Koberlein, New York

# 331:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Bill Forbes, Texas

# 330:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Becki Brunelli, California
We only have one planet.

# 329:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Laura Phillips, Indiana

# 328:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Billie Antorietto, California

# 327:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Alisa Mercer, Virginia
The minimum requirements should be met...actually the maximum requirements should be met...death and destruction is extinction..and that is forever!

# 326:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, John Magisano, New York

# 325:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Carolee Bird, California
Please protect Alaska's coastline and the waters that are home to precious animals and sealife. We can't afford to keep messing up.

# 324:

1:26 pm PST, Jan 12, Susan Paul, New York
Because the more ecological damage is done, the less habitable the planet is for humans as well as other life forms. We need to save ourselves!

# 323:

1:25 pm PST, Jan 12, Madeline Tucker, Arkansas

# 322:

1:25 pm PST, Jan 12, Jessca Smith, New York

# 321:

1:25 pm PST, Jan 12, Name not displayed, Nevada

# 320:

1:25 pm PST, Jan 12, Rebecca Shane-Wahl, Colorado

# 319:

1:25 pm PST, Jan 12, Jared Franz, New York
penny wise pound foolish

# 318:

1:24 pm PST, Jan 12, Karen Hirsch, New York
This is a major source of seafood.

# 317:

1:24 pm PST, Jan 12, Kendra Korrison, California

# 316:

1:24 pm PST, Jan 12, Name not displayed, Texas
Honourable Public Servant: Mr/Ms Senator/Representative: I am aware that it is vertually imposible for anyone to tell what will happen in the future should the maritime traffic in the Alaskan waters continue.However,I am depending on you all to do ALL that is nessasary to prevent catastropic oil spills as the ones in the past.No ship should be allowed to navigate through waters that are so remote that lives cannot be save in an emergency and rescue attempts are hampered.We the people are pleading with you all to do more to balance the need for energy resources with the need to safe gaurd human lives and nature presevation.Thank you all for your prompt attention to this matter.

# 315:

1:23 pm PST, Jan 12, Jeffrey Womble, California
We must protect something!

# 314:

1:23 pm PST, Jan 12, Claire Flewitt, California

# 313:

1:23 pm PST, Jan 12, Joy McClanahan, Georgia
The effects of accidents such as the one on Dec. 8th take a long time to clean up, and the area will never be able to fully "recover". Ensuring that basic protections are in place is a common-sense measure that will help prevent these tragic accidents from occuring, and protect these areas in the future. Although it might be costly to take measures now to protect our environment, we're investing in our planet's future, and that of our children and their future families. Let's not forget that clean-up is also quite costly, as is the long-term impact of oil spills and enviromental pollution.

# 312:

1:23 pm PST, Jan 12, Maria Buni, New York
We need to take care of our water and the wildlife for future generations.

# 311:

1:23 pm PST, Jan 12, Wonil Kim, California

# 310:

1:23 pm PST, Jan 12, Gabriele Kohlieber, Nebraska
keep the oil tankers out

# 309:

1:23 pm PST, Jan 12, Meredith Stone, Pennsylvania
To protect wildlife and the ecosystem for future generations.

# 308:

1:22 pm PST, Jan 12, Deanna Cox, Texas

# 307:

1:22 pm PST, Jan 12, Robert Young, Vermont
It is Congress's duty to protect and preserve our environment. If Congress doesn't, who will?

# 306:

1:22 pm PST, Jan 12, Daniel Zajic, New Hampshire
It would be irresponsible and foolish not to.

# 305:

1:22 pm PST, Jan 12, Maria DeLuca, Vermont

# 304:

1:22 pm PST, Jan 12, Tamara Roshay, California

# 303:

1:21 pm PST, Jan 12, Mary Ann Wilson, California
.

# 302:

1:21 pm PST, Jan 12, Sara A. Levy, California

# 301:

1:21 pm PST, Jan 12, Joel Welty, Michigan

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Help Prevent Oil Spills In Alaska’s Coastal Waters!

This petition has been closed.