permaculture

[Brent McMillan <brent@gp.org>]

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell
202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org

President Obama must cancel his plans for Atlantic and
Alaskan offshore drilling, and hold BP and Halliburton
liable for the Gulf spill's damage, say Greens

• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Greens available to speak
on energy policy, climate change, and related issues:
http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-energy.php
http://www.gp.org/speakers/speakers-ecological.php

• The Green Party's 2010 Annual National Meeting,
Detroit, Michigan, June 24-27 http://greenpartymeeting2010.wordpress.com
Media credentialing page: http://www.gp.org/forms/media
More information: 1-866-41-GREEN, office@gp.org

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders called on President
Obama to cancel his call for offshore drilling in US waters
off the Atlantic and Alaskan coasts, as the spreading
British Petroleum oil spill threatens ecosystems and public
health in the Gulf region. Greens also urged the
President to hold BP and Halliburton liable for all costs
associated with the spill.

On Friday, President Obama signaled that his administration
is not reconsidering plans to expand offshore drilling in
the wake of the Gulf spill ("Obama won't back off drilling
plans, but pledges safeguards," McClatchy Newspapers,
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/04/30/93216/obama-wont-back-off-drilling-plans.html).

"President Obama's reluctance to set aside his offshore
drilling proposal is comparable to the reckless disregard
shown by President George W. Bush and other public officials
before and after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast," said
Miriam Gennari, Green Party candidate for Arlington County,
Virginia, School Board.

"No technology can guarantee complete safety from a
spill. According to an assessment by Minerals
Management Service of the damage to offshore oil and gas
infrastructure caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 183
pipelines were damaged and 113 platforms were destroyed,
with six spills of 1,000 or more reported ("MMS Updates
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Damage," May 1, 2006, 
http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2006/press0501.htm).
The 167 million acres of ocean near the Atlantic and Alaskan
shores will be vulnerable to the same disaster that the Gulf
states are facing right now," said Ms. Gennari.

Greens said that President Obama's capitulations to energy
lobbies, including a plan to construct new nuclear power
plants (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=297) and his
support for "clean coal" while refusing to seek a halt to
mountaintop removal mining, have surpassed those of
President Bush, a former oil executive and enthusiastic ally
of such industries.

The Green Party supports much stricter federal regulation
of fossil fuel extraction and nuclear power, to protect
workers, communities, and ecosystems, and an end to public
subsidies for fossil fuel and nuclear industries.
Greens have warned about the consequences of economic and
environmental policies promoted by these industries to
guarantee their own profits at public expense. Many
Greens favor a moratorium on offshore drilling operations
until tighter regulations and adequate insurance (not just
BP's self-insurance policy) are in place.

"President Obama wants to establish a bipartisan alliance
with 'drill, baby, drill' Republicans to boost oil industry
profits while trying to end US dependence on foreign oil
sources. But the problem isn't just foreign oil.
It's all fossil fuels, which have proven disastrous in the
short term, with the BP spill threatening the Gulf coast,
and in the long term as we face global climate change.
Democratic Party leaders deserves sharp criticism for their
refusal to renew annual bans on offshore drilling beginning
in 2008," said Audrey Clement, co-chair of the Green Party
of Virginia (http://www.vagreenparty.org) and co-chair
of the national party's EcoAction Committee
(http://www.gp.org/committees/ecoaction/index.php).

Greens insisted that BP and Halliburton, the
oilfield-services company that handled the rig's cementing
process, be held financially liable for the effects of the
spill.

"No amount of money can possibly compensate for the lives
lost and the damages caused by this disaster, which will be
felt for years to come," said Michael Canney, spokesperson
for the Green Party of Florida (http://www.floridagreens.org) and green 
energy
advocate. "Taxpayers and Gulf Coast residents must not
be left holding the bag for cleanup costs and damages.
BP and Halliburton must be held accountable, even if it
means impounding their assets to ensure these bills get
paid."

On Thursday, April 29, the Green Party of Florida asked
President Obama and Florida Governor Charlie Crist to
declare a state of emergency as dead birds and chemical
odors were reported along the state's Gulf coast, and in
anticipation of greater damage to beaches and other coastal
areas (http://bit.ly/c3hM7k).


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
• Green candidate database and campaign information: 
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections
• Green Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus

"Two fossil-fuel dangers threaten America's economic
health, public health and natural habitats: coal and
offshore drilling for oil, say Greens on Earth Day 2010"
Green Party press release, April 22, 2010
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=311

"More on the Oil Gush..."
By Anita Steward, OpEdNews.com, May 3, 2010
http://www.opednews.com/articles/More-on-the-Oil-Gush--by-Anita-Stewart-100502-286.html?show=votes

The Green Party's 2010 Annual National Meeting, Detroit,
Michigan, June 24-27 http://greenpartymeeting2010.wordpress.com
Media credentialing page: http://www.gp.org/forms/media
More information: 1-866-41-GREEN, office@gp.org

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the
Green Party of the United States
Winter 2010 issue now online
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog


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posted by:

Brent McMillan, Steward of Woodhaven
Avilla, IN USA