SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.,
May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- In light of last week's oil spill in Santa Barbara, the Surfrider Foundation,
(Surfrider.org), a non-profit environmental organization dedicated
to the protection and enjoyment of the world's ocean, waves and
beaches, is calling for the U.S. Government to restore a federal
moratorium on new offshore drilling sites, including canceling
plans for new oil and gas development in the Atlantic and Arctic
Ocean. Additionally, Surfrider is imploring citizens across the
country to get involved and urge elected officials to pass better
legislation to ensure long-term protection of our natural
resources.
"The recent oil spill in Santa
Barbara is a stark reminder that our ocean is precious and
vulnerable, yet government officials and oil companies continue the
dirty business of oil drilling. It is time to take a stand and
defend the world's ocean," said Dr. Chad
Nelsen, CEO Surfrider Foundation. "As we kick-off World
Oceans Day on June 1, we are urging
all citizens to take action both personally and collectively to
help protect the precious waters that give us life and
enjoyment."
To date, the ruptured pipeline outside of Santa Barbara has dumped as much as 101
thousand gallons of oil, with 21 thousand gallons reaching the
California shoreline. The true
ecological damage will not be realized for years, but the spill has
killed marine wildlife, closed local beaches and left an oil slick
over nine miles wide near the shore and a seven square mile slick
approximately 11 miles offshore. This spill is only one example of
the damage U.S. drilling operations cause – small, unseen pipeline
spills happen daily, sending roughly 880 thousand gallons of oil
into the ocean each year.
Federal Moratorium on Offshore Drilling
For decades our coasts were protected from new offshore oil
drilling. However, in 2008, President Bush and
Congress lifted federal moratoria on new offshore
drilling making our nation's coastlines vulnerable to the
expansion of oil and gas development.
In April 2010, the risks of
offshore drilling were exposed to the world when the Deepwater
Horizon oil drilling rig exploded and
released approximately 200 million gallons of oil into the
Gulf of Mexico. Beaches and
coastal wetlands from Louisiana to
the Florida panhandle were
impacted – killing birds, fish, marine mammals and devastating the
recreation and fishing-based economies of the Gulf
States.
Yet again, the ocean is a target. The Draft 5 Year Offshore
Drilling Plan released by the Obama Administration for
2017 - 2022 includes scheduled lease sales in the Mid-and South
Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. Surfrider believes the Obama
Administration and Congress need to reestablish the Federal
Moratorium on new offshore drilling rather than risking our ocean
and all it provides to us from opening offshore oil drilling every
5 years.
Support World Ocean's Month
As defenders of the
ocean, Surfrider needs help! Here's what you can do:
1) Sign Something: Sign the petition to reject
seismic testing and drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.
2) Make a call: Call your state representative and
say, "I'm calling to ask that you oppose all new
offshore oil and gas development and exploration."
3) Support Alternatives: Drive slowly. If you drive a
vehicle getting low MPG, lower speeds can significantly save
fuel.
4) Use Public Transit: Explore
mass transit. If that's not an option, combine errands –
making several trips can use a lot of gas.
5) Say No to Plastic: Stop using plastic bags and
single-use plastics. Around 100 billion petroleum-based plastic
checkout bags are used each year in the
United States, requiring an estimated 12 million barrels of
oil each year. 60-80 percent of pollution in our ocean comes from
plastic!
6) Protect Your Waterways: Create an ocean friendly
garden (helps conserves water and lessen polluted runoff), pick up
trash at your beach and get involved with your community,
whether that's through a local Surfrider chapter or another
organization that protects coastal resources.
"We cannot drill our way out of our oil dependence problem.
Drilling is simply not the answer – we must find alternatives. It's
not hard to do our part in conserving resources – work to minimize
your fossil fuel consumption, support strong regulations and limits
on new oil drilling and eliminate daily use of plastic bags and
other single-use plastic. While small, if adopted as a whole, these
changes can have monumental impact," continued Nelsen.
About Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization
dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's ocean,
waves and beaches through a powerful activist network. Founded in
1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation
now maintains over 250,000 supporters, activists and members
worldwide. For more information on the Surfrider Foundation, visit
surfrider.org.
Contact Info:
Monica Rohleder
1-847-606-1973
monica@signalrockcomm.com
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/surfrider-urges-citizens-to-fight-against-new-offshore-drilling-to-stop-future-incidents-like-santa-barbara-oil-spill-calls-for-federal-moratorium-on-new-drilling-300090054.html
SOURCE Surfrider Foundation