WATER IS LIFE and DRILLING IS KILLING
February 6, 2018. Salem, Oregon.
Photos and article by Lloyd Vivola
Censored News
Environmental activists were joined by concerned citizens, First Nations, elected officials and government commissioners on the steps of the State Capitol Building here to rally in opposition to the Trump Administration's plan to open the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States to unprecedented oil and gas development.
The Oil and Gas Leasing Plan, as proposed in January by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, would make 90% of the American OCS available for fossil fuel exploration and extraction beginning in 2019. Currently, some 94% of the OCS is off-limits to fossil fuel development, including OCS territory that extends from Oregon coastal waters, a marine environment considered by many to be among the world's most biologically sound.
Speakers at the rally underscored a long list of economic and environmental concerns regarding any introduction of future fossil fuel development in this area, not least among them the risk of catastrophic oil spills. They also voiced outrage that the policy flies in the face of ever more evident climate disruption and the need to develop renewable energy sources.
After the rally, many protesters attended a well-orchestrated information fair – billed as a public meeting – that was held at the nearby Red Lion Hotel and presented by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. As part of administrative protocol regarding the off-shore leasing proposal, BOEM is currently accepting public comments online and by mail.
To learn more, visit Surfrider at:
Story and Photos by Lloyd Vivola
Copyright Lloyd Vivola, Censored News
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