White House rally to remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster

Coalition urges administration to halt risky and reckless Arctic drilling

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Activists from Alaska Wilderness League, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, World Wildlife Fund, climate change experts, and others will gather Tuesday to remind the White House about the lingering impacts of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster. The Obama administration has proposed new oil and gas leases in the American Arctic Ocean, and Shell has announced its plans to continue oil exploration there this summer. The rally will deliver an important message to the White House: offshore drilling in the Arctic is risky, reckless, and destructive to our environment, climate and economy.

What: A rally to remind the White House of the dangers of offshore drilling on the 26^el anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster.

Where: White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, between the White House sidewalk and Lafayette Park.

When: Tuesday, March 24, from 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.

Visuals: Large-scale images of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Arctic Ocean, signs and banners.

Who: Speakers include Martha Kongsgaard, president of the Kongsgaard Goldman foundation, chair of the leadership council of the Puget Sound Partnership, and chair of the Marine Resource Advisory Council; Cindy Shogan, Executive Director of Alaska Wilderness League; David Scott, President of the Sierra Club; David Thoreson, an Emmy-nominated professional photographer, gallery operator, explorer, and first American sailor to traverse the Northwest Passage in both directions; and Allison Warden, an award-winning Iñupiaq artist and recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Humanities.

For information, contact Marissa Knodel, climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth.

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Contacto experto: Marissa Knodel, (202) 222-0729, [email protected]
Contacto de comunicaciones: Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]