For Immediate Release: November 8, 2017
Media Contact:
Corey Himrod, 202-266-0426, Corey@alaskawild.org
Amey Own, Animal Welfare Institute, 202-446-2128, amey@awionline.org
Taylor McKinnon, 801-300-2414, tmckinnon@biologicaldiversity.org
Rebecca Bowe, Earthjustice, 415-217-2093, rbowe@earthjustice.org
Kelsey Lamp, Environment America, 775-397-5057, klamp@environmentamerica.org
Anne Hawke, Natural Resources Defense Council, 202-513-6263, ahawke@nrdc.org
Gabby Brown, Sierra Club, 202-495-3051, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Steve Bloch, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, 801-428-3981, Steve@suwa.org
Maia Raposo, Waterkeeper Alliance, 212-747-0622 ex. 116, mraposo@waterkeeper.org
Kelly Fuller, Western Watersheds Project, (928) 322-8449, kfuller@westernwatersheds.org
Jenny Kordick, The Wilderness Society, 202-429-2676, Jenny_Kordick@tws.org
SECURE Act is a Public Lands and Waters Giveaway to Dirty Industry
WASHINGTON – Today, the House Natural Resources Committee will vote on the Strengthening the Economy with Critical Untapped Resources to Expand American Energy (SECURE) Act. This Act would transfer management authority for the permitting of federal oil and gas resources to states, encourage offshore oil drilling while limiting commonplace safeguards, and gravely weaken protections for marine mammals.
The eleven environmental and conservation organizations listed above issued the following statement:
“The SECURE Act is the latest shameless effort to sell out America’s public lands, waters and oceans to the highest bidder, yet again putting the interests and profits of the oil and gas industry before American families’ right to protect these areas for our children and grandchildren. This bill would not only threaten fragile habitats and rare wildlife species, it would also purposefully remove the public’s seat at the table when decisions are made about our shared natural resources. American families want to preserve these special areas, and this bill is an irresponsible scheme to shut the public out of the process and allow special interests to completely reshape how our shared lands, waters and natural resources are used.”
These organizations also sent this letter to the House Natural Resources Committee, outlining their concerns and opposition to the bill.
The SECURE Act prioritizes fracking and drilling for oil and gas over all other values, placing our public lands, waters, oceans and coastlines at significant risk and curtailing public involvement in their responsible management. In addition, this bill rolls back existing offshore safety rules that increase risks to offshore workers, the marine and coastal environment, and ocean life. Moreover, this bill exacerbates the already significant and increasing impacts of climate change on our citizens and environment.
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Alaska Wilderness League was founded in 1993 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation to further the protection of amazing public lands and waters in Alaska. The League is the only Washington, DC-based environmental group devoted full-time to protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other wilderness-quality lands in Alaska. For more information, visit: https://www.alaskawild.org.
The Animal Welfare Institute (www.awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. AWI engages policymakers, scientists, industry, and the public to achieve better treatment of animals everywhere – in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild. For more information, visit www.awionline.org.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.5 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.
Environment America has professional staff in 29 states and the Capitol which combine independent research, practical ideas and tough-minded advocacy to overcome the opposition of powerful special interests and win real results for the environment. Environment America draws on 30 years of success in tackling environmental problems. For more information, visit https://www.environmentamerica.org.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Chicago; Bozeman, Montana; and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
The mission of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is the preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans. Since 1983, SUWA is the only independent organization working full-time to defend America’s redrock wilderness from oil and gas development, unnecessary road construction, rampant off-road vehicle use, and other threats to Utah’s wilderness-quality lands.
Waterkeeper Alliance is a global movement uniting more than 300 Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates around the world, focusing citizen action on issues that affect our waterways, from pollution to climate change. The Waterkeeper movement patrols and protects over 2.5 million square miles of rivers, lakes and coastlines in the Americas, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa. For more information please visit: www.waterkeeper.org
Western Watersheds Project protects and restores western watersheds and wildlife through education, public policy initiatives and legal advocacy.
The Wilderness Society is the leading conservation organization working to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places. Founded in 1935, and now with more than one million members and supporters, The Wilderness Society has led the effort to permanently protect 109 million acres of wilderness and to ensure sound management of our shared national lands.
