Citizens and Elected Officials Gather in Demonstration Against Offshore Drilling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2018
Contact: Chris Carnevale, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, [email protected], 843-973-2637
Citizens and Elected Officials Gather in Demonstration Against Offshore Drilling
Hands Across the Sand participants to gather and say “no” to offshore drilling
Charleston, S.C. – On Saturday, May 19, a large group of local residents and local elected officials will gather on Folly Beach for a demonstration against offshore drilling, as part of the 9thannual Hands Across the Sand events taking place worldwide. Hands Across the Sand participants will hear from local elected officials in a press conference and then join hands in a long line as a figurative way to say “no” to offshore drilling and “yes” to clean, renewable energy. The demonstration will showcase local opposition to President Trump’s recently proposed plan for drilling off the Atlantic coast, which has drawn intense criticism from local residents and elected officials.
The press conference will start at 12:00 p.m. ET and will feature comments on the subject of offshore drilling from Folly Beach Mayor Tim Goodwin, State Representative Peter McCoy, and Charleston City Councilmember Mike Seekings. Other local and statewide elected officials have been invited.
Co-hosts for Hands Across the Sand on Folly Beach include the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation – Charleston Chapter, Coastal Conservation League, Don’t Drill Lowcountry, Citizens’ Climate Lobby – Charleston Chapter, Charleston Waterkeeper, and the Robert Lunz Group of the Sierra Club. Other Hands events will take place in Myrtle Beach, Litchfield Beach, and Hilton Head Island, S.C., as well.
Since its first year in 2010, Hands Across the Sand/Land gatherings have taken place in all 50 states and 43 countries worldwide. More information about Hands Across the Sand can be found at http://www.handsacrossthesand.org/.
What: 9th annual Charleston-area Hands Across the Sand event
When: Saturday, May 19 at 12:00 p.m. ET **Note: Folly Road traffic on Saturdays can be very heavy, so please come early!
Where: Folly Beach; on the beach adjacent to the pier (101 E. Arctic Ave.). Event will be held rain or shine, however in case of heavy rain or thunderstorms, we will gather underneath the roofed portion of the pier.
More information can be found on this Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/175636353156245/
Quotes for advance stories:
“Hundreds of coastal communities in the Southeast, representing millions of people, are opposed to the expansion of offshore drilling to protected areas because its unwanted, unneeded, and the risks greatly outweigh any benefits. Our local economies rely on a clean environment that would be threatened by the reckless expansion of offshore drilling,” says Chris Carnevale, Coastal Climate and Energy Manager for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
“South Carolina residents have the most to lose if offshore drilling moves forward, yet their voices are going unheard in Washington. Offshore drilling is a dirty and dangerous business that would threaten our state’s ocean-dependent tourism, recreation and fishing industries, and very way of life. East Coast communities are calling on their elected officials to support local interests instead of risking their livelihoods for the benefit of the oil industry,” says Samantha Siegel, Senior Campaign Organizer with Oceana.
“We must ‘draw a line in the sand’ and stand together to protect sea life from seismic blasting used in offshore oil and gas exploration. Critically endangered right whales that migrate, gestate, and give birth off our coast are on the brink of extinction. Their deaths are due, largely, to anthropogenic (caused by humans) factors including seismic blasting, one of the loudest anthropogenic sounds in the sea. Lest we forget the interdependence of sea creatures, seismic blasting can also harm or kill zooplankton, a whale’s primary source of food. On behalf of the mighty whale to tiny plankton and all sea creatures in between, please say, ‘NO’ to seismic blasting and oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic Coast,” says Alice Morrisey of Don’t Drill Lowcountry.
“The Coastal Conservation League stands with the South Carolina communities that have the most to lose from the spills and onshore infrastructure that will follow risky offshore oil drilling,” says Eddy Moore, Energy and Climate Director for the Coastal Conservation League.
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About Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Founded in 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that work to address the impacts of global climate change and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org.