Calling out Congress for its oily hands

By 1Sky intern Amy Plovnick. -- Luis

It’s hard to believe that it’s been three months since the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. That's three months of seeing pictures of oil-soaked birds, hearing about failed attempts to stop the spill, and reading stories of people’s lives being devastated by oil reaching their shoreline and crippling their livelihoods.

To commemorate the three month anniversary of the spill, volunteers from many environmental groups, including 1Sky, gathered in front of the Capitol for a rally on July 20. We listened to many speakers, including residents of the Gulf who had come to lobby their senators to pass a climate and energy bill. With signs and chants, we called for an end to dirty energy money in politics, an end to offshore drilling, and a shift to clean, renewable energy sources. Many people covered their hands in oil-like substances to illustrate the devastation in the Gulf and to represent the oily hands of the politicians who accept donations from dirty energy companies. After the rally, many volunteers visited the offices of the ten members of Congress who have received the most campaign contributions from BP and demanded that they give this money to relief efforts in the Gulf. Here's a slideshow of images from yesterday's event:

With this rally and others like it across the country, we kicked off a month of action to move from the oil spill to a climate and clean energy bill. As the Senate gears up to debate climate and energy legislation next week, now is a critical time to make sure that we reject dirty energy sources like oil and coal and invest in renewable energy so that we can avoid future tragedies like oil spills and disasters that will result from catastrophic climate change. By continuing to pressure our senators, we can help ensure that the Senate passes a strong bill that puts a price on carbon and doesn’t include loopholes and giveaways to Big Oil and Dirty Coal.

Last weekend, we heard the long overdue good news that BP has capped the well and stopped the oil from gushing into the Gulf, although concerns about oil and gas seepage nearby may force them to remove the cap. Even if the cap remains in place, the aftermath of this catastrophe is far from over. Oil will continue to reach shorelines and kill animals, people in the Gulf coast region will be unable to make a living in the fishing and tourism industries, and, worst of all, if we continue to use dirty energy like oil, more disasters like this one are bound to occur in the future.

I hope that by the four month anniversary of the spill, on August 20, we will have an energy policy that protects us from dirty fuels and begins to address catastrophic climate change.