Offshore drilling opponents rally outside D.C. hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Tuesday, April 26, the Obama Administration is holding a meeting to hear feedback on the proposed 2017-2022 offshore drilling program. Advocates concerned about climate change and the health of their communities will gather outside the D.C. meeting to celebrate their victory over Big Oil in the Atlantic Ocean, and call on President Obama to end new drilling in the Arctic region and the Gulf of Mexico.
What: Advocates rally against offshore drilling outside the D.C. hearing; a crowd of 100+ will rally with signs, a billboard, and colorful banners that read ”No Offshore Drilling” and “Keep It In the Ground.”
Who: Speakers include:
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, President and CEO, Hip Hop Caucus
Besse Odom, Anchorage NAACP Youth Council Vice President
Laura Wood Habr, Virginia Beach business owner and community activist
Bernadette Demientieff, Alaska Native activist and Acting Executive Director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee
Where: Corner of 12th and G St NW, Washington, D.C. In the park by the Metro Center escalator, adjacent to the Metro Center Marriott at 775 12th Street NW.
When: 5:00 p.m., Tuesday April 26, 2015 (BOEM meeting from 3:00-7:00 p.m.)
Why: The movement to stop offshore drilling has mobilized millions of Americans across the country. Last month, in response to relentless grassroots organizing, the Obama Administration excluded the Atlantic coast from the next 2017-2022 offshore drilling program. Now, front line communities and climate activists are banding together to call on President Obama to also protect Arctic and Gulf communities from the dangers of offshore drilling.
Groups organizing the event include: 350.org, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, League of Conservation Voters, Alaska Wilderness League, Hip Hop Caucus, Center for Biological Diversity, Environment America, Friends of the Earth U.S., Indigenous Environmental Network, Oil Change International, Greenpeace USA, Rainforest Action Network, and Redoil.
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Expert contact: Marissa Knodel, (202) 222-0729, [email protected]
Communications contact: Kate Colwell, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]