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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Eric Young, NRDC, 202-289-2373 or eyoung@nrdc.org

Oil Reaches Gulf State's Shores

In the wake of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and reports
that the oil has reached land, Frances Beinecke, President of the
Natural Resources Defense Council, issued the following statement:

"The
administration is correct to suspend any new off-shore drilling until a
full investigation is completed. But it can't stop there - we need to
do more if we are serious about avoiding disasters like this in the
future. We must shift our energy policy away from oil, toward cleaner
and renewable sources that can't spill or run out.

WASHINGTON

In the wake of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and reports
that the oil has reached land, Frances Beinecke, President of the
Natural Resources Defense Council, issued the following statement:

"The
administration is correct to suspend any new off-shore drilling until a
full investigation is completed. But it can't stop there - we need to
do more if we are serious about avoiding disasters like this in the
future. We must shift our energy policy away from oil, toward cleaner
and renewable sources that can't spill or run out.

"Offshore
drilling is dangerous work and the cost of accidents is far too high,
as this tragedy reminds us. We have an oil slick the size of West
Virginia harming marine life in the Gulf of Mexico. It has just reached
land and has begun to poison the fertile Mississippi Delta and its
ecologically rich marshes. The spill also threatens the coastlines of
the other Gulf coast states.

"We have to do better.

"We
need a comprehensive national clean energy policy that puts this
country on the path to sustainable and renewable power and fuel while
creating American jobs building the energy-efficient cars, homes and
workplaces of tomorrow.

"It's been nearly a year since the House passed legislation that will
do just that. Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.),
and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) have worked for six months to draft
companion legislation in the Senate. And Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid (D-Nev.), reaffirmed Tuesday his commitment to moving forward on
this vital issue. We must find the political will to get it done.

"As
we watch the horrific spectacle of yet another oil spill ravaging our
waters, our wildlife, our lands, our air, our fishing and tourism
industries, we must demand, once again: that our leaders lead. We must
pass a clean energy bill that is designed to prevent tragedies like
this in the future. The work has begun. We need to finish it this year."

For more about the oil spill and dangers of off-shore drilling, read Sarah Chasis' blog: "NRDC Calls for a Time-Out on New Offshore Drilling Activities."

NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.

(212) 727-2700