BP & OBAMA

Lucas,

One year ago yesterday, a horrific explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and set off the worst corporate-made ecological disaster in our nation's history.

This past weekend, thousands of youth activists from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., with a clear message for government leaders and Big Business: The time has come to stop sacrificing people and the planet in the pursuit of profits.

Remember the victims of the BP disaster and keep the momentum going for a real shift in priorities.

Take action today to urge President Obama to stand up to dirty industries and hold corporate polluters like BP accountable.

Federal investigators have concluded that lax regulation of the oil industry encouraged BP and its contractors to put expediency and cost-cutting over worker safety and the environment. Yet Congress has not implemented the recommendations of the presidential oil spill commission -- recommendations that would help mitigate the effects of the disaster and greatly reduce the chances of another catastrophe.

But President Obama can -- and should -- take the following actions:

• Deny new drilling and exploration permits. The offshore drilling industry has not proven that it can prevent -- or clean up after -- a spill of the magnitude of the BP disaster. Even the infamous blowout preventer, the one piece of equipment that was supposed to be fail-safe, can fail if the force of oil is too strong.
• Give the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) what it needs. This agency should have proper funding to institute essential reforms, including: completing a reorganization; hiring additional engineers, scientists and inspectors; and conducting vital new research on oil spills.
• Pledge to veto any legislation that would accelerate the very processes that led to the BP disaster. Current bills within the House Natural Resources Committee would short-cut environmental safeguards and put workers and coastal communities at greater risk.
• Direct congressional leadership to prioritize oil spill legislation. We need a policy that holds the oil industry accountable and gives those affected by offshore drilling a voice in oil and gas activities. Eliminate the $75 million liability cap on offshore facilities, direct Clean Water Act penalties toward ecosystem restoration, and create a Regional Citizen's Advisory Council.
• Continue to push for the repeal of Big Oil subsidies. The administration is seeking to repeal subsidies that would be valued at $3.6 billion for oil and gas companies in 2012.

Please take a moment to send a message to Obama. Demand that he take these few initial steps toward protecting our communities.

Thank you for all that you do, Allison Fisher Outreach Director Public Citizen's Climate & Energy Program