Statement of Frank Jackalone, Sierra Club Senior Organizing Manager
St. Pete Beach, Florida – June 25, 2011
This past week Governor Rick Scott and Senate President Mike Haridopolos declared war on Florida’s beaches and coastal economy. In a cynically timed pair of events, the two called for new oil drilling off Florida’s coasts and building more coal and nuclear power plants.
In addition, Governor Scott is starting to dismantle energy efficiency rules that we need to keep energy costs down for businesses and homeowners and to reduce the amount of poisons such as mercury and ozone from coal and gasoline emissions sent into our air.
Rick Scott is embracing the dirtiest forms of energy for our state. He is shirking his responsibility to protect the welfare of all Floridians.
Tea Party Governor Scott and his actions deeply contrast with the policies of former Republican Governor Charlie Crist and Democratic Governor Bob Graham. Charlie Crist and Bob Graham not only worked to protect all our people but served as strong stewards of Florida’s wildlife – our fish, our dolphins, our magnificent birds – and our beautiful oceans, bays and Gulf beaches.
A year ago today oil was pouring out from BP’s Macondo deepwater well into the Gulf of Mexico. It was the greatest man-made environmental disaster in America’s history.
The Gulf of Mexico is still sick following this disaster. The Gulf fishing industry still hasn’t revived. People who live near the Gulf are reporting unexplained illnesses. Tourism at our beach communities is down. Millions of Floridians are still depressed because of the damage done to the special places they loved.
We can’t take another hit from another spill.
Not in the deepwater Gulf!
Not in the Atlantic!
Not in Florida’s coastal waters, just 3 miles off Florida’s shoreline!
And not in the waters between Cuba and the Florida Keys!
It’s risky business – too risky for Florida’s coastal businesses.
Another spill could cause our fisheries to crash permanently. That’s no exageration. A recent report warns that sealife is jeopardized by a combination of man’s pollution, overfishing and warming waters. Mass extinction is a real possibility. We are courting disaster in the Gulf if we add another major oil spill to this mix.
Today we join Hands with thousands of Floridians (and thousands more at 300 events across the earth) to say there is a real alternative to oil drilling here in the “sunshine state” – It’s called sunshine. Harness the power of the sun. The sun’s energy is being harvested and converted into power for our homes just a little bit right now in Florida. It is being harvested more than here in several other states. And it is being harvested a whole lot more in much colder, darker places like Germany. Sunshine is free to the touch and it can be captured economically.
The other part of the solution is to move to electric cars now. The Sierra Club and other conservation groups are calling on the Obama Administration to adopt a new rule to get us to 60 miles per gallon average fuel economy for new cars and trucks by the year 2025. That standard would push manufacturers to sell electric cars and trucks at affordable prices. It can be done and it must be done if we are to get beyond oil and save the planet.
Solar and electric cars ought to be Florida’s future, not more drilling in the Gulf.
Gulf state senators are said to be nearing a deal on how to divvy up
the potentially $20 billion in penalties that could result from the
federal government’s litigation of companies responsible for the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
“We’re very close,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).
Legislation could be brought to the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee soon for consideration, according to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-
Calif.), the committee chairwoman who is leading negotiations among
senators from the region.
“We are going to be having a markup on that around a couple weeks from
now,” Boxer said today.
There is widespread consensus within Congress and the Obama
administration that Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas
should receive the bulk of the money, since they bore the brunt of the
environmental and economic damage resulting from the April 2010 oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Capturing the money would require legislation to divert the funds
before they flow into a trust fund used to pay for future oil spill
cleanups or into the federal treasury.
That could prove difficult. Any such bill to divert billions of dollars
to the Gulf states would also get slapped with a multibillion-dollar
price tag by the Congressional Budget Office. That could be a tall
legislative hurdle, given the growing anxieties on Capitol Hill over
the federal deficit.
“We’re fairly close to agreements that will provide some money for
deficit reduction and some money to the Gulf Coast,” Landrieu said.
To succeed, Gulf state lawmakers agree they will have to unite behind a
single bill — something that is also easier said than done. There are
deep divisions among the region’s lawmakers about how a bill that would
capture the money should divide it up among the states.
“The bottom line is how to divide the money fairly between the Gulf
Coast states — that’s been the toughest, but we’re making progress,”
Landrieu said.
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson (D), for example, has called for allocating
the money, in part, based on a state’s total miles of shoreline, which
would give Florida an advantage.
Also being debated is how much money should be devoted to environmental
restoration, such as wetlands-rebuilding projects, versus economic
recovery, such as port dredging and construction of convention centers
or highway interchanges.
Louisiana Sens. Landrieu (D) and David Vitter (R) filed a bill that
would devote more money to the former, while Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.)
put forward legislation that favors the latter.
“We’re working through all those issues, but we’re very close,”
Landrieu said.
Reporter Jeremy P. Jacobs contributed.
Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 3:42 p.m.
Offshore drilling threatens our coastal-dependent economy, our natural heritage and many of the most important values we enjoy every day in Sonoma County.
This Saturday, at Doran Beach in Bodega Bay, Californians will join hands with friends and neighbors to protect our coast from this dirty and dangerous practice during this year’s “Hands Across the Sand” event.
As evidenced by the unusual number of dead dolphins washing up on Gulf beaches, last summer’s BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster continues to affect the Gulf of Mexico and the wildlife and livelihoods it supports. Instead of taking steps to ensure that offshore drilling is made safer, the House has actually passed legislation that would imperil more of the country’s fragile waters – including those off our own shores here in California.
A series of reckless drilling bills passed by the House would mandate the installation of drilling rigs only three miles off of Malibu, within Santa Monica Bay and along the Orange County beaches all the way to La Jolla – eventually including even Sonoma County – in its shortsighted offshore drilling plans.
The members of Congress spearheading these assaults on our coast know that drilling here will not, and cannot, actually lower the price of gas at the pump. For them, the issue of offshore drilling is used merely as a short-sighted political maneuver in the election cycle.
We Californians must protect the coast that is our inheritance and safeguard it for future generations. This means bringing together like-minded individuals and organizations with the conviction to organize a global movement to promote a clean energy future and end our dependence on fossil fuels.
Through these efforts we hope to convince our state legislators, governors, Congress and President Barack Obama and other world leaders to adopt policies encouraging the growth of clean and renewable energy sources in place of oil and coal.
This weekend, “Hands Across the Sand” will unite people of all walks of life, transcending political affiliations and even international borders. Last year’s movement featured events not only in all 50 states but in 43 other countries around the world. This movement is not about politics but rather the protection of our coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife and fisheries.
Expanded offshore drilling and its potential to cause devastating accidents threaten all of these things. Only by embracing high-tech energy efficiency and responsibly-sited clean energy can we truly move beyond the dangers of dirty fossil fuels and eliminate the risks they pose to our coastal environments.
I hope to see you on Doran Beach at 11 a.m. Saturday at the whale sculpture across from the Coast Guard Station. Please bring your family and friends to help us in our effort to keep California’s coasts beautiful – and safe. To encourage carpooling, the normal daily $6 use fee for the park will be waived for our event for all vehicles with at least four occupants.
To learn more about our event, visit: www.surfrider.org/sonomacoast.
____________________
Richard Charter is senior policy adviser for marine programs at Defenders of Wildlife. He lives in Bodega Bay.
Statement by Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen
WASHINGTON – June 15 – Legal speculation is siphoning money from the pockets and pocketbooks of consumers.
Even Goldman Sachs suggests that legal speculation may be adding 65-70 cents to the price of a gallon of gasoline.
Speculators, in other words, are imposing a private tax on us.
This is the worst kind of tax. The proceeds of this Wall Street-imposed tax are going to Wall Street interests, giant oil companies and foreign oil interests. The Wall Street-imposed tax is regressive, with working families hit the hardest. And the unpredictability and impermanence of this Wall Street-imposed tax means that – while it imposes costs on consumers and the economy – it does not do much to shift consumer and investment decisions toward efficiency.
We, the People are not helpless in the face of this legalized rip-off. We can crack down on out-of-control legal speculation with available tools. The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act directed the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to enact position limits to eliminate excessive speculation. But the CFTC has failed to act.
Now comes Sen. Bernie Sanders’ End Excessive Oil Speculation Now Act to mandate immediate action by the CFTC to end the Wall Street-imposed oil tax. The legislation would end Wall Street’s authority to rip off consumers. Public Citizen strongly supports the End Excessive Oil Speculation Now Act. We need it right now.
###
Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts.
Coast News: Rancho Santa Fe News: Locals to join hands to oppose offshore drilling
by Bianca Kaplanek
6 hrs ago
DEL MAR – Area residents who oppose expanded offshore drilling and support clean energy solutions for a sustainable planet can join hands in front of Powerhouse Park at noon June 25 for the second annual Hands Across the Sand event.
Dave Rauschkolb, a Florida surfer and restaurateur, created the event in response to a bill passed by the Florida House of Representatives, lifting the ban on near-shore oil drilling.
With support from sponsor organizations, more than 10,000 Floridians joined hands Feb. 13, 2010, covering the state’s coastlines to show united opposition to near-shore drilling.
Two months later the BP Deepwater Horizon oilrig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Rauschkolb then organized a global Hands Across The Sand to urge President Barrack Obama to abandon his bid to open continental U.S. waters to offshore oil drilling.
On June 26, 2010, more than 1,000 events took place in all 50 states and in 42 countries.
Hands Across the Sand is not about politics, according to the organization’s website.
“It is about protecting coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife and fisheries from the threats of expanded offshore drilling and the accidents associated with this,” the website states.
Participants join hands “to implore leaders and decision-makers to end the United States’ dependence on oil and coal and embrace a clean energy future for a sustainable planet.”
Participants are asked to arrive, rain or shine, at 11 a.m. and join hands for 15 minutes, forming lines in the sand to say “no” to oil drilling in coastal waters and “yes” to clean energy.
For more information, visit handsacrossthesand.org or contact local coordinator Yasmine Zein at yazmataz7@gmail.com.
The second annual Hands Across the Sand
Posted: Jun 13, 2011 8:27 AM
Updated: Jun 13, 2011 8:31 AM
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – People all over the world will gather to join hands in the second annual Hands Across the Sand on June 25 to take a stand against expanded offshore oil drilling and support for clean energy solutions for our planet.
Supporters from Myrtle Beach will gather at 11 a.m. at Plyler Park on the end of Mr. Joe White Avenue on the oceanfront. Everyone will join hands silently on the beach for 15 minutes. Parking will be available at Pavilion parking garage.
Local event organizer Mary Max Neely said, “We will hold hands in support of clean air, water and energy. The oil companies have reserves. Once again, we are drawing a line in the sand against drilling along America’s beaches across the nation and around the world. Our coastlines, marine life and tourism industry are too big of a risk to take.”
For more information about the Myrtle Beach event, contact Mary Max Neely at 843-283-9490, maxie@sccoast.net or www.handsacrossthesand.org.
Hold hands on the beach 6/25 — for Hands Across the Sand
June 9, 2011 | Siel Ju
Plan for a day at the beach on Sunday, June 25 – and see all your fellow environmentalists collected by the ocean at noon. The second annual Hands Across the Sand event, when people peacefully hold hands across the sand to oppose offshore drilling and call for clean energy solutions, returns later this month to a beach near you.
The first event – held on June 26, 2010, just months after the BP oil spill – got people all over the world involved, with more than 1000 gatherings everywhere from Australia to Tanzania to Santa Monica, where I showed up. That local event brought out actresses Amy Smart and Rosario Dawson, Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, environmental organizations like Surfrider Foundation and Green LA, and many locals that simply want an end to offshore drilling. After a few rousing speeches about moving L.A. towards cleaner energy sources, we all held hands – and stretched across the sand, chanting “Clean energy now!”
Now, Hands Across the Sand is coming back, happening all over the world at noon (local time) on Sunday, June 25. The event returns at a time when BP oil spill related stories are still making headlines – though these articles rarely front page news now. Hands Across the Sand aims to bring back to the public consciousness the many environmental and health problems related to offshore drilling, calling for both local and international solutions that bridge political and ideological affiliations.
Though the event blew up after the BP oil spill, Hands Across the Sand was actually founded by a Florida surfer and restaurateur called Dave Rauschkolb, who organized a hand-holding event in February 2010 that attracted 10,000 Floridians – after a bill to to lift the ban on nearshore drilling passed in the Florida House of Representatives. Two months later, the BP oil spill happened – and Hands Across the Sand became a big, international event endorsed by Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Oceana, and many other environmental organizations.
Ready to hold hands again? The Santa Monica event will return to last year’s spot just on the south side of the Santa Monica Pier. Show up at 11 ready to listen and learn from local activists – then grab your neighbor’s hand and join the human chain at noon.
But many other Hands Across the Sand events are also happening on other nearby beaches, from Venice to Dockweiler State Beach to the Main Beach in Laguna and the Pier in San Clemente. Visit the Hands Across the Sand website to find the event closest to you – or organize your own.
Share http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2011/06/09/hold-hands-beach-625-hands-across-sand/ on Twitter
The URL http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2011/06/09/hold-hands-beach-625-hands-across-sand/ has been shared 9 times.View these Tweets.
Second-annual Hands Across the Sand set for June 25
1:04 PM, May. 23, 2011
Written by Kimberly Blair kblair@pnj.com
At noon on June 25 in time zones all across the globe people will once again join hands on beaches and in cities for the second annual Hands Across the Sand demonstration.
The peaceful protest is being organized to oppose expanded offshore drilling and promote clean energy solutions for a sustainable planet.
Hands Across the Sand is a movement made up of people from all walks of life and political affiliations, organizers say.
Florida surfer and Seaside restaurateur Dave Rauschkolb founded Hands Across the Sand in October 2009 in response to a bill passed in the Florida House of Representatives to lift the ban on nearshore drilling.
With the support of sponsor organizations, he rallied more than 10,000 Floridians to join hands on Feb. 13, 2010, covering the state’s coastlines, to show a united opposition to nearshore drilling. That event attracted 250 people to Casino Beach.
Two months later, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. A second event was organized for June 26 to urge President Obama to abandon his bid to open the continental United States waters to offshore oil drilling. That event sparked 1,000 demonstrations worldwide. More than 800 people turned out on Casino Beach for that event, which fell three days after BP’s oil from the oil well disaster slicked Pensacola Beach.
On April 20, the one-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, Hands Across The Sand launched its 2011 event website so that people worldwide could organize and participate in demonstrations in their neighborhoods, cities, parks and beaches.
Local people are encouraged to go to any nearby beach at noon and wear black and display banners.
For more details, visit www.handsacrossthesand.org. To view a Flickr photo stream from June 26, 2010 event log onto:
Special thanks to Richard Charter.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi
