Since the Gulf oil disaster began on April 20, the ever-increasing damage to local wildlife, ecosystems and local economies confirms just how deadly our addiction to oil and other dirty fossil fuels has become.
In March, SACE critiqued President Obama’s short-sighted plan to lift a 20-year old ban on offshore drilling and then in April we responded quickly to the catastrophe that has ensued from BP’s exploded drilling rig.
Incredibly, more than a month later, BP has still not stemmed the gushing oil and our leaders still have not taken a bold stand against energy policies that simply prolong our dirty energy addiction. There hasn’t been another time in a generation where strong voices and bold actions were needed more. Perhaps elected leaders are waiting for citizen leaders to show the way.
In the coming days, join our national ally 1Sky in their ‘No More Drilling’ campaign. Next week, while Congress members are at home for the Memorial Day recess, find the nearest U.S. Representative and Senators’ offices and visit the staff there with a clear message: dirty energy is not acceptable, clean energy is the only sustainable path forward. And next month, hold hands with friends, family and neighbors at a beach (or even lake) near you on Saturday, June 26 to support Hands Across the Sand to oppose offshore oil drilling and champion clean, renewable energy. These are small first steps, to be sure, but silence is complacency and the magnitude of this tragedy demands vocal and physical action from us all.