For Immediate Release
Washington, DC
 
  • Today, Sen. Joe Lieberman said provisions to expand offshore oil and gas drilling will remain in a draft Senate climate and energy bill he has coauthored with Sens. John Kerry and Lindsey Graham.
  • Sen. Lieberman said of the Gulf spill, "I mean, accidents happen. You learn from them and you try to make sure they don't happen again." He said the draft bill would allow drilling as close as 75 miles from U.S. coastline.
  • Oil continues to gush unabated into the Gulf of Mexico from the site of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, already hitting the shores of Louisiana and Mississippi.

The following is a statement from Rodger Schlickeisen, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife:

"The lesson we must take away from the ongoing tragedy in the Gulf is that offshore oil and gas drilling is not safe. Just because events of this magnitude don't happen very often doesn't mean we should provide more opportunities for them to take place. Accidents do happen, which is a good reason to hit the brakes, not the gas pedal.

"America must move away from its reliance on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels and instead focus on developing clean, renewable energy sources, as any comprehensive climate and energy legislation should reflect."

Links:

Read more about the impacts that offshore drilling can have on marine wildlife.

For the latest information on the disaster, visit NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration.

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.  

 

Media Contact

News

2019.08.07 - Florida Panther looking straight at camera - MS 45 - fStop Foundation
WASHINGTON, D.C.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Memo Underscores Trump Administration’s All-Fronts War on Wildlife

Brian Nesvik, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, issued a memorandum explaining to FWS staff that the Endangered Species Act’s prohibition on unauthorized “take” applies only to affirmative acts intentionally and purposefully directed at a particular animal. This follows the Trump administration’s rescission of the regulatory definitions of “harm” under the ESA, which took effect this week.
A close up of the face of a Sierra Nevada Red Fox at the edge of a forest in Deschutes County, Oregon.
Washington, D.C.

Court Rules Habitat Must Be Protected After FWS Attempts to Waive Protections for Less Than 40 Sierra Nevada Red Fox

Defenders of Wildlife earned a significant victory for the Endangered Species Act today when a federal district court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to not designate critical habitat for the endangered Sierra Nevada red fox was a violation of the law.
Visit the newsroom