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NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Scott Baumgartner, sbaumgartner@foe.org, 202-222-0751
Nick Berning, nberning@foe.org, 202-222-0748

Friends of the Earth Responds to Gulf Oil Spill with TV Ad Taking on Palin, Steele and 'Drill, Baby, Drill'

Ad pressures President Obama to abandon pro-drilling stance, will air in Florida and Virginia

WASHINGTON

Friends
of the Earth released a TV
ad
today that takes the fight to "drill, baby, drill"
sloganeers in the wake of the mounting oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf
of Mexico.

The 30-second ad, which
will air in drilling debate
hotspots Florida and Virginia, can be viewed at https://www.foe.org/tv-ads-take-drill-baby-drill-wake-spill.

"The oil catastrophe in
the Gulf should serve as a
wake-up call," said Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica.
"Offshore drilling is inherently dirty and dangerous, and it
doesn't belong in our nation's energy policy. Unfortunately,
instead of acting in the nation's interest, President Obama has followed
the lead of Sarah Palin."

"From now on, we need an
energy policy based on
clean solutions, not cheap slogans," Pica said. "There are all
sorts of ways to meet our nation's energy needs without drilling.
Investments in public transportation, electrified rail, and stronger
fuel
economy standards are just a few examples. President Obama and Congress
should
pursue these policies and ban offshore drilling."

The Friends of the Earth
ad mixes audio and video footage
of Palin and others chanting simplistic drilling slogans with images of
the
ongoing disaster in the Gulf and other oil spills. It closes with
onscreen text
stating the reality that "we have better energy solutions."

For more information on
Friends of the Earth's
response to the Gulf of Mexico disaster, visit
https://www.foe.org/gulf-oil-spill.

Friends of the Earth fights for a more healthy and just world. Together we speak truth to power and expose those who endanger the health of people and the planet for corporate profit. We organize to build long-term political power and campaign to change the rules of our economic and political systems that create injustice and destroy nature.

(202) 783-7400