After 25 years of consent on the Congressional moratorium on oil drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf, the political winds have shifted. Our current direction now threatens to keep the U.S. dependent on environmentally poisonous oil.
Our oceans in particular are at their limit and cannot withstand the carbon dioxide released from the additional consumption of fossil fuels. Studies show that the increased carbon dioxide in the oceans, which causes the oceans to become more acidic, could bring the Southern Ocean to the tipping point of a food web collapse as early as 2030.
American ingenuity and determination can certainly develop energy alternatives rather than develop more offshore oil platforms!
Tell your representatives in Congress to reinstate the pre-existing moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf.
Dear Representative or Senator [Name],
Between the loss of sea ice and the acidification of ocean waters, some marine ecosystems are being hit hard by climate change and others will soon show stress too. The only way to truly reverse this trend is to reduce and ultimately eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels like oil and natural gas, instead relying on renewable energy sources.
However, the mixture of harsh economic conditions and a contentious election cycle last year resulted in the lifting of the Congressional moratorium on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf - a ban that had been in place for 25 years. In order to move forward and positively explore energy alternatives, the United States must first put out the fire it set by lifting the drilling moratorium.
While the benefits of drilling in the OCS - lower gas prices and domestic energy production - are questionable, the risks are very real. Oil spills are the most visible threat, but it is in fact a continued reliance on fossil fuels that poses the greater threat, for any oil or gas extracted from the OCS will continue to pollute as its carbon is released into the atmosphere and absorbed into the ocean.
[Your comments here]
It is imperative to quickly reinstate Congress's moratorium on drilling in the OCS, so that the country's attention and resources can remain focused on developing the energy alternatives that will not only make the United States energy independent, but also an example for other developed and developing countries.
