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Oceans Campaign News
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| AUSTIN – Environment Texas called upon the Texas Congressional Delegation to support the CLEAR Act, Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act, (H.R. 3534), scheduled for a vote tomorrow in the U.S. House. The bill * Holds BP accountable for the oil spill by lifting the cap on liability. * Reforms offshore oil and gas drilling by tightening safety and permitting provisions * Provides funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire and protect key treasured lands in Texas, including Big Bend National Park and Big Thicket National Forest | |
| AUSTIN – As thousands of Texans flock to beaches along the coast, Environment Texas reported that beach closings and advisories due to pollution dropped last year to 231 days, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council’s Natural Resource Defense Council’s 20th annual beach water quality report. Environment Texas called for increased federal funding and strong EPA rules for reducing stormwater pollution. | |
| AUSTIN— The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest in American history, is an environmental tragedy that has had devastating effects on thousands of lives; however, the oil spill is only one of a multitude of problems the Gulf of Mexico is currently facing. | |
| In reaction to a federal judge’s decision to allow more offshore drilling in the deep water in the Gulf of Mexico, Environment Texas’ Luke Metzger said: | |
| AUSTIN – After 35 days of the largest oil spill in U.S. history, it appears that BP is finally bringing some control over the river of oil gushing into the Gulf. U.S. Geological Survey Director Dr. Marcia McNutt announced earlier today that the disaster has already released between 17 and 39 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf, a substantial revision upward in the official size of the spill and one and one half to almost four times the size of the Exxon-Valdez spill. In a press conference this afternoon President Obama cancelled a pending lease sale off Virginia near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, a suspension of drilling planned for the Arctic this summer, and continued the temporary suspension of deepwater drilling in the Gulf. Environment Texas reiterated its call for a permanent ban on drilling in new areas and thanked the President for canceling the lease sale off Virginia and delaying development of the Arctic leases. | |
| AUSTIN – The beaches, parks and marshes of the Texas Gulf Coast are home to remarkable underwater ecosystems and diverse wildlife. All of these would be threatened by more offshore oil drilling, which is currently under debate in Washington D.C. According to Oceans Under the Gun, a new report written by Environment America and the Sierra Club, our beaches and oceans support a vibrant coastal tourism and fishing economy that generates $11 billion per year in Texas. | |
| AUSTIN – As thousands of Texans flock to Gulf Coast beaches, Environment Texas reported that beach advisories due to pollution dropped last year in Texas, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council’s 19th annual beachwater quality report. Environment Texas called for increased federal funding and faster testing for beachwater pollution. | |
| As millions of Americans flock to beaches around the country, Environment Texas reported that beach closings and warnings due to pollution went up last year in Texas, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council’s 18th annual beach water quality report. The group called for increased federal funding and faster testing for beachwater pollution and decried efforts to open protected coastlines to offshore drilling. | |
| Federal data show that in 2007 nearly three out of ten Gulf of Mexico fish species for which there is adequate information were overfished or were caught faster than they can reproduce, a condition known as overfishing. | |
| The Save the Bait Coalition today called on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TPW) to protect what has been called “the most important fish in the sea†in Texas’ coastal waters. A diverse coalition of businesses and advocacy groups is seeking a science-based catch limit, observers to document wasteful fishing practices, and accountability measures to make sure catch limits are not exceeded for menhaden, a primary prey fish for finfish, seabirds, and dolphins. | |
| Zero federal fish stocks managed solely by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council are known to be healthy, and this number has not changed since 2001, finds a new report released today by Environment Texas and the Marine Fish Conservation Network (Network). | |
| President Bush responded to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy's (USCOP) report today by signing an executive order to establish a cabinet-level Committee on Ocean Policy. Environment Texas, the new home of TexPIRG's environmental work, commends the White House for recognizing that our oceans are in crisis. | |
| On September 20th, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP) delivered its final report and recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy to President Bush. Mandated by Congress in the Oceans Act of 2000, and appointed by the President himself, the Commission's take home message is undeniable - our oceans are in deep trouble. The Bush administration now has 90 days to respond and make policy recommendations to Congress. | |
| The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, a panel appointed by President Bush, today issued its final report stating that the oceans are in peril and overfishing is a primary factor contributing to the collapse of entire ocean ecosystems. Today's report comes even as the Bush administration is actively seeking to weaken federal standards that protect fish populations from overfishing. | |
| In their report finalized today, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP) confirms the grim truth - our oceans are in trouble. The message is crystal clear: we must make the changes now that are so desperately needed to restore, protect, and conserve our fragile oceans. | |