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Please help me save a National Park from oil/gas drilling
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| DaveSaenz |
http://texas.sierraclub.org/press/n...ses/061803.html
The longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the world is under attack from oil and gas companies. Padre National Seashore is a world treasure home to 17 endangered species including rare birds and sea turtles. Thousands of people from around the United States, and around the world come to the park every year to enjoy its pristine beaches and to view rare wildlife. Three generations of my family have grown up enjoying the majesty of these barrier islands, but we may have been the last...
Today, I was shocked, saddened, and angered to learn that BNP petroleum company has acquired far-reaching permits that open 92% of the Padre National Seashore to drilling and exploration for natural gas. BNP plans an extensive drilling campaign to build some 15-20 wells over the next 30 years unless they are stopped. The amount of gas reserves within the park are only estimated to be enough to satiate the needs of the entire USA for 1 day, yet the EPA and Department of Interior (packed with appointed industry lobbyists for big oil, gas, mining, and timber) still decided to endanger the fragility and sustainability of this ecosystem by issuing drilling permits. Regardless of the aesthetic and polluting impact that the wells will have, another problem is the amount of heavy machinery and trucks used to build and maintain the wells that will destroy sea turtle nests, and the natural habitat on the beach.
Many of the extremely endangered giant sea turtles that remain in the world only nest on Padre National Seashore, and a protected shore in Mexico. They will almost certainly become extinct if their remaining habitat is not protected from development and energy exploration.
I'm convinced that many people don't know about this proposed drilling since it's not widely reported in the media, and this is the first I've heard, but I think most people would be outraged if they did know that drilling is on schedule to take place in a national park and world biosphere. This assault is no different than drilling in Yellowstone, Yosemite, or the Great Barrier Reef.
Please help me in the fight to save this pristine stretch of beach ecosystem for the benefit of current and future generations of all humanity, and to help save the 17 endangered species which call the park home.
A petition sent to President Bush may fall on deaf ears because of his atrocious environmental record, but perhaps he will again choose to side with the people and not the energy companies as he did in this instance:
| quote: | | Last year, President Bush supported a $120 million dollar federal buyout for the drilling rights under Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. The Sierra Club and other environmental organizations praised the President’s decision regarding the Florida buyout. |
I do praise the president for this action, and this means that we can't afford to presume he won't listen.
There are also members of Congress who will listen if there is enough of a public outcry. The Administration's horrendous proposal to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge was defeated with strong bipartisan support due in part to great public outrage!
If you really want to help save the Padre National Seashore and the endangered sea turtles, you can printTHIS FORM out, sign it, get your friends to sign it, and mail it to the Sierra Club address at the bottom of the petition. The deadline is Dec 31st, so there's still time! Or you can mail it to me since I'm working with them to spread the word and gather signitures, since I can't in good conscience let the energy companies destroy something that is so important to so many species, and is so loved by many many people (including me). :) If the Kemp's Ridley, Leatherback, Green, and other giant sea turtles were to disapear, I think that would be an incredible loss for the world.
Thank you for any and all help in saving this park! Please pass this info on to others as well! We will win!
David
P.S.
You can also become a member of one of the oldest and most important environmental organizations in the world, The Sierra Club, for as little as 25 bux. You also recieve a free hiking backpack hehe.
:stongue: :D http://www.sierraclub.org/ |
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| DaveSaenz |
Threatened Green Sea Turtles
Very endangered Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle digging a nest
Very endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle:
Threatened Loggerhead Turtle
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| Acheron |
| I printed it out, I'll see if I can get some of my friends to sign it. That is a really important cause...I'm glad you brought it to my attention, I'm glad that you're doing a good thing here. :) |
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| tranceDJ |
| Awesome that you're doing this...too many people are not willing to help the environment nowadays. I just hope there's more like you so the places in those pictures still exist in a couple of years. |
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| ambs |
Of course I will sign it Dave! it's so sad that so many people don't understand the seriousness of some of these issues... maybe they don't care, but in a few years when people look back and wonder where all the national parks and beauty went, they will look back and think "I should've signed that petition"....
such a shame |
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| Yoepus |
oh let the Texan's have their oil!
the turtles can take care of themsleves:D |
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| imokruok |
| Most people don't realize it, but the water in that area is already full of naturally-occuring oil slicks. There's so much of it on the ocean floor that it bubbles up in huge globs to the surface, and occasionally washes up on shore. I was about 3 miles out from that beach once, and the hull of the boat that we were in was just covered in crude. For what it's worth... |
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| DaveSaenz |
| quote: | Originally posted by imokruok
Most people don't realize it, but the water in that area is already full of naturally-occuring oil slicks. There's so much of it on the ocean floor that it bubbles up in huge globs to the surface, and occasionally washes up on shore. I was about 3 miles out from that beach once, and the hull of the boat that we were in was just covered in crude. For what it's worth... |
Hmm, yep you're right buddy. You do get little pieces of tar on your feet and legs sometimes when you are in the water.
How do you feel about this action of drilling in National Parks?
Just ignore the fact that it was Bush's Department of Interior that granted the permits, and ask yourself if it's morally right to drill in a National Park that is loved by so many people and is home to 17 endangered species?
The petitions are to the president and congress to help persuade them to purchase the mineral rights under the seashore from private holdings. The petitions will be handed to Mr. Bush at his Crawford ranch in a ceremony. I hope some press is there...:) We are going to fight this in the 5th curcuit, and perhaps higher if needed.
| quote: | Originally posted by Yoepus
oh let the Texan's have their oil!
the turtles can take care of themsleves:D |
Your short-sighted thinking is apparently shared by many others, but I disagree with your viewpoint.
This issue is not just about sea turtles, but since you brought it up, the Kemp's Ridley numbers have dropped from about 40,000 females in 1947 to around 2000 today. Obviously they could take care of themselves without human help as they have for millions of years, IF their habitat were to remain intact, they were not hunted for their shells, and they were not being killed in commercial fishing nets.
http://www.txpeer.org/toxictour/sea_turtles.html |
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| smokeape |
You assume an oil rig will cause irrevocable ecological damage. I don't think the drillers want to intentionally foul things up either. I mean, why would they? Best bet is to ruthlessly monitor their activities, since what they're doing is now legal...
{{{smoke}}} |
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| DrUg_Tit0 |
How can you be against this beauty???
But now, on a more serious note, I don't see why an oil rig would be damaging to the environment if it's kept under strict control. Besides, the water is already full of oil over there, so an oil rig will infact clean up the oil from the water. |
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