Friend, This week marked the fifth anniversary of the BP oil spill that sent over 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days.1 And, depending on who you talk to, the Gulf Coast is either on the road to the recovery or struggling to heal while battered by more and more disasters. The folks responsible for the spill and their Big Oil cronies who would have you believe that the spill was not as bad as once thought and, get this, "mother nature healed herself!"2 But here's the real truth -- the Gulf Coast has still not fully recovered, and maybe never will unless we take some serious (environmental) action. There are still tar mats and oil balls washing up on the shores, the fishing industry remains devastated and frontline communities are still suffering from the spill, while also bracing for rising seas and sinking land due to climate change and increased oil and gas drilling.3 For communities along the Gulf Coast, Earth Day was more about painful realities than celebration. That's why we are working with Gulf South Rising to help frontline communities fully and actually recover from the spill, reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and adapt to climate change. Can you help support this very important initiative? So many communities are still not where they need to be five years later. But when I heard what was happening with the United Houma Nation (UHN) of southern Louisiana, I knew I really had to do something. Not only did the BP oil spill alter their way of life due to polluted wetlands and catastrophic destruction of food sources like fish and crab, continuous drilling has increased the erosion of their land, which they are losing at a rate of 16 square miles per year!4 Unfortunately it gets even worse for UHN as they are not even allowed to sue BP for damages they deserve because they are not recognized by the federal government -- some suspect that this is due to our government putting the interests of Big Oil over the first citizens of this nation. Examples like these are why I am asking you to please help my friends at Gulf South Rising and frontline communities like UHN fight for their lives. Your donation will help fund on-going programs including:
It really stinks that we have to clean up BP's mess, but if we don't no one will. Let's show frontline communities in the Gulf that we have their backs. Please click here to donate so rising hopes beat rising tides. Thank You so much for your support, Anthony and the Environmental Action Gulf Coast Freedom Fighters 1. Do Something.Org: 11 Facts About the BP Oil Spill. 3. PBS NewsHour: Five Years On, What Do We Know About BP Oil Spill Damage? April 20, 2015. |
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