The Gulf Coast has suffered a brutal few years. First Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans and the coastline. Now the BP oil spill has killed wildlife and fisheries, soiled beaches and damaged the region's livelihood for generations to come. But there is an opportunity to embrace a more sustainable future for the Gulf and our nation.
This month marks the 5th anniversary of Katrina. For five years, Global Green USA has been doing more to influence the green rebuilding of New Orleans than any other organization. Today, Global Green is calling for the region -- and the country -- to invest in creating a cleaner, greener more sustainable Gulf coast.
But we need resources to make it happen. Tell President Obama to establish a new Clean Energy Fund for the Gulf to help the region recover and lead the way to America's clean energy future.
Dear President Obama,
The Gulf Coast has suffered undue environmental tragedies in the last few years, starting with Hurricane Katrina and continuing far into the future with the ramifications of the BP oil spill -- the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.
But we can turn this tragedy into a brighter future for the Gulf and for America by investing in a new cleaner, greener economy for the Gulf, which for too long has been at the mercy of the oil and gas industry.
Mr. President, I'm asking you to ensure that resources from BP's fines not only pay for full restitution of the economic and environmental destruction caused by the spill, but are also used to create an independent Gulf Coast Clean Energy and Healthy Communities Fund. This fund would support the work of a foundation comprised of environmental groups, green businesses and citizens in the community. It would fund environmental, conservation and clean energy initiatives that would help the Gulf's wildlife, ecosystems and economy.
Protecting the Gulf requires more than just cleaning up the oil on its shores and in its waters. Sea-level rise from global warming threatens to consume much of the shorelines and parts of low-lying communities -- raising the chances for another Katrina-like disaster.
Let's not just ensure that BP cleans up the economic and ecological disaster it created. Let's use this tragedy to national policies that ensure our dependence on and deference to the oil industry come to an end. Let's empower the hardworking Americans in the Gulf states to lead the way in paving America's clean energy future.
