Statement from 1Sky Campaign Director Gillian Caldwell on President Obama’s Remarks on Domestic Offshore Oil Drilling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31st, 2010
Contact: Alex Posorske, 1Sky: (301) 270-4550 x230; alex@1sky.org

Takoma Park, MD – 1Sky Campaign Director Gillian Caldwell issued the following statement today in response to President Barack Obama’s announcement on offshore oil drilling:

“1Sky is deeply disappointed to hear President Obama announce today his commitment to lifting a 20-year old ban on offshore oil drilling by proposing new drilling in waters from Delaware to Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in parts of Alaska.

This dramatic increase of the scope of offshore drilling throughout the coastal United States puts our fragile coastal environments, as well as billions of tourism dollars, at risk -- while still doing relatively little to address our long term energy challenge or our race against time to fight runaway climate change.

A truly bold and visionary step forward on energy policy from President Obama would unleash the power of renewable energies like wind, solar and geothermal to transform our economy, create millions of clean energy jobs, fight climate change, and transition us away from the dirty fuels of the past like oil and coal. President Obama's announcement today will do none of that, and, ironically, may jeopardize as much support as it gains in the fight to pass climate and energy reform through the Senate this spring.

This is clearly not the kind of movement that our country and planet so desperately need – nor is it the direction that President Obama has himself called for in other, more productive moments in the first two years of his administration.”