- 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, 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.
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
