| Dear 5849376, In a disastrous move that will put millions of Gulf state residents at risk and threaten the fight to combat climate change even further, the Obama administration is planning to auction to the highest bidder nearly 24 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore oil and natural gas exploration and drilling. The Obama administration calls this lease sale part of its "continued commitment to safe and responsible domestic energy production," but there's nothing safe or responsible about opening an additional 23.8 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling.1 These leases will go up for sale on August 24, so we need to act now to stop any further drilling in the Gulf of Mexico once and for all. Tell the Obama administration: No new offshore oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Click the link to sign the petition. Just over five years ago, the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 people, spilled over 4 million gallons of oil, wiped out animal and plant populations, and devastated the economy of Gulf communities. And just this year, a Shell oil facility spilled nearly 100,000 gallons of oil 165 miles off the coast of New Orleans.2 President Obama apparently still has not learned his lesson about drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. In response to massive protests staged earlier this year, the Obama administration is holding the lease sale online and behind closed doors "to limit public pressure that's been mounting against leases in the Gulf of Mexico and around the nation."3 This attempt to silence dissent is a slap in the face by an administration that has promised to run the most transparent presidency in history. That's why we are joining our allies at No New Leases in the Gulf of Mexico to amplify their great on-the-ground organizing. We simply cannot allow the Obama administration to unlock massive quantities of untold amounts of carbon and turn the Gulf of Mexico into a sacrifice zone of pollution once again. Tell the Obama administration: No new offshore oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Click the link below to sign the petition: http://act.credoaction.com/sign/gulf_leases?t=6&akid=19270.3291973.UrpddB Thanks for all you do. Josh Nelson, Deputy Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References - Bureau to Offer 24 Million Acres in the Gulf of Mexico for Oil and Gas Leasing, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, July 24, 2016.
- Natasha Geiling, "Yet Another Oil Spill Wreaks Havoc On The Gulf Of Mexico And Nearby Coastal Communities," Think Progress, May 13, 2016.
- Moving Gulf Fossil Fuel Lease Sales Online Won't Halt Public's Growing Opposition to Offshore Drilling, Center for Biological Diversity, July 25, 2016.
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