30 days in, a call to the President

One month after the Gulf oil spill disaster began, 14 major environmental groups joined together on a letter asking President Obama to ban offshore drilling in places off U.S. coasts that are not currently being drilled. One month after the BP Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, the well is continuing to gush thousands of barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico.  The groups called on the President to reverse his previously announced policy of expanding drilling off Florida, the Atlantic coast and Alaska and instead ban drilling in these places.  The President has the authority to ban drilling in new areas through a Presidential withdrawal.

Bob Irvin, Senior Vice President of Defenders of Wildlife said, “The continuing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has proven once again that oil companies cannot effectively protect our shores and coastal waters from the devastating effects of offshore oil and gas drilling. By halting any new drilling off of U.S. coasts, President Obama will demonstrate that our natural resources are more valuable than risky bids for dirty fossil fuels.”

See the full statement.

Read the letter to President Obama calling for a halt of any new drilling off of U.S. shores.