Help Prevent Another Exxon Valdez Spill

Dear Secretary Salazar,

Tuesday, March 24 marked the 20th anniversary of one of the worst environmental disasters in history, the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The memory of the spill persists for the fishermen and Alaska natives whose livelihoods were destroyed by Exxon's recklessness. The anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill should serve as a reminder of the threat oil poses to our oceans and coasts. Instead of opening the door to more Exxon-style disasters, we should be embracing the clean energy solutions that will keep our beaches and marine life intact and will help combat global warming.

As a nation, we are far too dependent on oil and other fossil fuels. New offshore drilling will only continue this dependence. America needs to move forward to a clean energy future, not backwards towards more offshore oil drilling.

I urge you to oppose new offshore oil and gas drilling in areas that were protected by the long-standing Congressional drilling moratorium.

Our nation's energy problems won't be answered by drilling for more oil, now or in the future. The cure for our dangerous oil addiction is not to seek a bigger fix by drilling the few remaining places that are not already open for energy development. America's coasts and marine waters provide the economic lifeblood for tourism and fishing communities, a destination for thousands of vacationing families each year, and sanctuary for fish and wildlife. Offshore drilling would industrialize our coasts and put our coastal communities and economies at risk.

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I support President Obama's goal of advancing a green economy to fight global warming and put Americans to work. I strongly urge you to consider the adverse impacts on our environment and climate from new offshore oil and gas drilling when rewriting the five-year plan and developing coastal policy.