WASHINGTON (09/30/2010) -

The following is a statement from Richard Charter, senior policy advisor for marine programs at Defenders of Wildlife:

“Today’s announcement is a positive step in the right direction. Now Congress needs to step up with a more comprehensive response. We need to ensure that the burden of proof is on the drilling industry to demonstrate that it can quickly and reliably close down a runaway well in any water depth. The BP Gulf disaster cannot be allowed to stand as a model for future prevention and response. There must be real solutions to what has clearly been a fiasco of historic proportions.

“What we need is a comprehensive climate and energy policy that moves away from dependence on dirty fossil fuels and speeds us toward our clean energy future, one that is designed to be smart from the start and effective in protecting our natural resources for future generations.”

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Links:

Learn more about how Defenders is working to protect natural resources from the dangers of offshore drilling. 

Read more about Defenders' work promoting clean, renewable sources of energy. 

Contact(s):

Caitlin Leutwiler, (202) 772-3226, cleutwiler@defenders.org

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.  

 

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