Take a Stand! Help Stop Big Oil from (Further) Destroying the Gulf Of Mexico

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The idea that crises can create opportunities for real, even radical, change has been around for centuries. Many of us living on the Gulf Coast had hoped, even assumed, that a 200-million-gallon oil spill would be the impetus for a sea change in the way our government regulates Big Oil and in turn for real changes in the way the industry operates. Sixteen months after BP launched the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, it’s clear our hopes were completely misplaced.

As we near the first anniversary of the Sept. 19, 2010 “killing” of BP’s Macondo Well, Big Oil continues to run amuck in the Gulf of Mexico with relative impunity. There’s oil everywhere. Practically speaking, nothing has changed – and you can see it in the water.

A miles-long slick floats atop the Macondo Prospect. This photo was taken Aug. 30, 2011.


Photo credit to On Wings of Care and Terese Collins

This photo (below) was taken Aug. 25, 2011 in the vicinity of fragile Louisiana marshland, not far from the Venice marina.


Photo credit to On Wings of Care and Jonathan Henderson of the Gulf Restoration Network (GRN)

These photos (below) were taken Aug. 19, 2011. I assume you get the point. How much of this do we have to take?


Photo credit to On Wings of Care
and Jonathan Henderson of the Gulf Restoration Network (GRN)

Spills, leaks and discharges continue to happen every single day. Big Oil treats the Gulf like its own private dumping ground. It’s high time we took a stand. We can no longer afford to sit idly by while our government enables oil companies, like BP, to destroy our waters and our way of life.

They won’t stop until we’ve got oil coursing through our veins instead of blood.

Bonny Schumaker and her crew at the CA-based nonprofit On Wings of Care are making it easy for us to make our voices heard. Please see the information below – and act on it! Share it with friends, family, colleagues, and anybody else who cares about the Gulf.

The time is now!

From Bonny Schumaker:

“THE OIL IS STILL HERE, AND SO ARE WE!”

Our collective insufficient and inappropriate response to the past and continuing massive oil leaks are causing the continued poisoning and deaths of marine life at all levels, from tiny shrimp to giant whales, and are ruining the lives of humans here in the Gulf now and for generations to come.

No matter who you are, YOU can help wake up our government to taking responsive appropriate action for public and environmental good, guided wisely and not monopolized by near-term corporate agendas, by joining us in a powerful public show of thoughtful assertion. This is not picketing, not whining, not threatening, not a show of frustrated helplessness by powerless children. This is the system of democracy at work in a nation powered by intelligent, responsible citizens who, when necessary, will re-assert their authority to guide the wheels of our government.

Here is something all of you can do, today, to help the Gulf of Mexico recover from last year’s catastrophic offshore oil platform explosion and the ongoing application of toxic dispersants which serve little or no good but to prevent continuing leaks from being visible at the ocean’s surface: Join us in this effective, nonviolent, thoughtful act of public assertiveness to wake up our elected leaders and legislators to better stewardship and responsibility in the Gulf of Mexico.

Beginning today (Sept. 5) and effective tomorrow, join us in e-mailing brief but poignant, comments, suggestions, or photos or videos, constructive and instructive as possible, to the contacts listed below, with your inputs.

The contacts listed here are all people who have legislative or other influence to affect our government’s response to the Gulf’s recovery.

If you will send these emails today or tomorrow, this public message will have been delivered by Wednesday September 07. (Of course, you may use this contact list to continue to send your inputs as appropriate thereafter.)

Please vary the subject lines in your emails, but we encourage you to END your emails with this common tag line: “THE OIL IS STILL HERE, AND SO ARE WE!”

For more information about this concerted effort, see the facebook page titled “/event.php?eid=268979023116762”, or this link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=268979023116762

Thanks from “Dr. Bonny” and all the volunteers and supporters at On Wings Of Care.

LIST OF CONTACTS for your emails:

FEDERAL

Kenneth Feinberg – fax 212-527-9611, kfeinberg@feinbergrozen.com

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder – fax 202-514-2000, askdoj@usdoj.gov

Vice President Joe Biden – fax 202-456-2461, vice.president@whitehouse.gov

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu – fax 202-586-4403, The.Secretary@hq.doe.gov

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar – fax 202-208-5048, feedback@ios.doi.gov

Health and Human Services – phone 1-877-696-6775
http://www.capwiz.com/politicsol/webreturn/?url=http://www.hhs.gov/aspa/

United States Coast Guard, Captain John R. Caplis, Office of Incident Command & Preparedness – fax 202-372-2905, John.R.Caplis@uscg.mil

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention – fax 404-498-0039, cdcinfo@cdc.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Thomas R. Frieden, Administrator – cdcinfo@cdc.

The Food and Drug Administration – consumer@fda.gov

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Response and Restoration – 206-526-6317, fax 206-526-6329, erd.webmaster@noaa.gov

NOTE: MOST STATE OFFICES OPEN AT 8:00 A.M.

LOUISIANA

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Region 6, George Pettigrew – phone 214-665-8361, fax 214-665-2237

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Bruce D. Greenstein, Secretary – phone 225-342-9500, fax 226-342-5568

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality – 225-219-3640

Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal –
http://www.gov.la.gov/index.cfm?md=form&tmp=email_governor

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries – 225-765-2800
http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/contact

ALABAMA

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Region 4, Robert (Bob) E. Safay – phone 404-562-1782, fax 404-562-1790

Alabama Department of Public Health, Main Office – 334-206-5300

Alabama Department of Environmental Management – phone 334-271-7700, fax 334-271-7950
http://adem.alabama.gov/inside/complaints/default.aspx

Governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley, 334-242-7100, fax 334-353-0004
http://www.governor.alabama.gov/contact/contact_form.aspx

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division, Director Chris Blankenship – 251-968-7576, chris.blankenship@dcnr.alabama.gov

MISSISSIPPI

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Region 4, Robert (Bob) E. Safay – phone 404-562-1782, fax 404-562-1790

MS Department of Environmental Quality, South Regional Office – 228-432-1056

Mississippi State Department of Health, Main Office – 601-576-7400

Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour – 601-359-3150, governor@governor.state.ms.us

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks – 601-432-2400
http://home.mdwfp.com/ServiceCard.aspx

FLORIDA

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Region 4, Robert (Bob) E. Safay – phone 404-562-1782, fax 404-562-1790

Florida Department of Health – phone 850-245-4444, fax 850-487-3729, health@doh.state.fl.us

Florida Department of Environmental Protection – 850-245-2161

Governor of Florida, Rick Scott – 850-488-7146
http://www.flgov.com/contact-gov-scott/email-the-governor/

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Northwest – 850-265-3676, Southwest – 863-648-3200, South – 561-625-5122

LOCAL COASTAL MEDIA

Times-Picayune, David Hammer, journalist who won an award for his coverage which included that the federal and independent numbers concerning the amount of oil spilled was too high – 504-826-3322, dhammer@timespicayune.com

Houma Today & Daily Comet, Nikki Buskey – nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com

Mobile Press Register, Mike Marshall, editor – mmarshall@pressregister.com

WKRG News – 251-662-3002, wkrgwebcontacts@wkrg.com

WLOX News – fax 228-896-2596, phone 228-896-1313, news@wlox.com

FOX10 News – 251-434-1010, Mobile, 850-494-1010, Pensacola, News Director Bob Cashen, bcashen@fox10tv.com

WEAR ABC 3 News – fax 850-455-8972, phone 850-456-3333, news@weartv.com

WWLTV News – http://www.wwltv.com/on-tv/contact

WAFB CBS News – news@wafb.com

KPLC NBC News, Charlie Haldeman, News & Content Director – 337-437-7566, fax 337-437-7600, dmayo@kplctv.com

KATC, Mike Magnoli – mmagnoli@katctv.com

Sun Herald Newspaper – mynews@sunherald.com

The Sea Coast Echo, Bay St. Louis, Geoff Belcher, News Editor, gbelcher@seacoastecho.com

WPMI News – fax 251-602-1547, phone 251-602-1500

NATIONAL MEDIA

Reuters – Braden Reddall, Correspondent, Energy and Infrastructure  – braden.redall@thomsonreuters.com

The Washington Post, Steven Mufson, staff writer – energy and finance – sjm57@georgetown.edu
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/steven+mufson/

The Wall Street Journal, Angel Gonzalez – angel.gonzalez@dowjones.com

NBC Today Show – Today@NBC.com

NBC Nightly News – Nightly@NBC.com

MSNBC – msnbcinvestigates@msnbc.com

Newsweek, Ian Yarett, reporter for science, the environment and health – ian.yarett@newsweek.com

Time Magazine, Bryan Walsh, senior writer environment, bryan_Walsh@timeinc.com

Time Magazine, Worldwide Publisher, Kim Kelleher – kim_Kelleher@timeinc.com

McClatchy, Erika Bolstad, regional corespondent – ebolstad@mcclatchydc.com

LA Times, Geoff Mohan, environmental editor – geoff.mohan@latimes.com

ABC – World News with Diane Sawyer –
http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3271346&cat=World%20News%20with%20Diane%20Sawyer

ABC – 20/20 –
http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3271346&cat=20/20

ABC – Nightline –
http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3271346&cat=Nightline

CNN – Newstips –
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/show/?s=newstip

Associated Press – 212-621-1500, info@ap.org

The Raw Story, Roxanne Cooper, publisher – publisher@rawstory.com

Democracy Now! – 212-431-9090, fax 212-431-8858

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

The Inquirer, Madeline Bennet, editor – Madeline.Bennet@incisivemedia.com

BBC, Mark Kinver, journalist – mark.kinver@bbc.co.uk

France 24 – webdesk@france24.com

The Telegraph, Rowena Mason, journalist – Rowena.mason@telegraph.co.uk

National Geographic, Ker Than – kerthan@gmail.com

The Guardian, Suzanne Goldenberg, U.S. Environmental Correspondent – suzanne.Goldenberg@guardian.co.uk

© Smith Stag, LLC 2011 – All Rights Reserved

2 comments

  • Sending to ALL of these people! Environmental illness is NO JOKE! The only reason I’m alive today 13 years post acute toxic chemical exposure to a nasty cocktail of petrochemicals including methylpentane, hexane, & toluene–is that I am the daughter & granddaughter of pre-pharmaceutical medicine MD’s who taught their patients (& me) to be well & healthy the way Dr’s had been taught since the time Hippocrates handed the knowledge down: NATURAL HEALTH PRACTICES–giving the body what it needs to heal itself. On top of that I was well-trained to BE WELL Naturally (herbs & foods & body-mind work–a WELLNESS Lifestyle!) by the world-class dancers who trained me. I have extensive neurological damages that I can MANAGE with excellent self-care & reasonable accomodations…but can be acutely disabling when I am not in carefully controlled conditions & environments. PEOPLE NEED HELP NOW & it is a SCANDAL that our own govt is colluding with the corporate criminals rather than jumping to HELP the PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK & DYING!

  • The federal government has a fudiciary responsibility and a responsibility to protect and promote the health of its people and the lands, air and waters. ACTS have affirmed this SACRED TRUST RESPONSIBILITY, TRIBAL TRUST and PUBLIC TRUST. Please do your jobs, I’m sure you’re all being well paid, have benefit packages for retirement. Be thankful and mindful of the laws, the oaths to uphold your Constitution, the obligations that entails. Thanks for your time and attention you give to your Country. All rights reserve and preserved.

Stuart H. Smith is an attorney based in New Orleans fighting major oil companies and other polluters.
Cooper Law Firm

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