Success: Obama Administration Withdrawing Plans to Drill in Atlantic Ocean

Target: U.S. President Barack Obama

Goal: Support decision not to drill for oil and gas off the Atlantic coast.

It is now common knowledge that if we are going to avoid environmental catastrophe we have to keep dirty fossil fuels in the ground and adopt a clean, renewable energy system. One step in the right direction has recently been made: the Obama administration has announced that it will not grant corporations the right to drill for new oil and gas in the Atlantic Ocean.

Offshore drilling has been a contentious issue for a long time, and over the last few years particularly. Until the recent announcement, it was not clear whether President Obama intended to protect our coast from predatory oil companies. Numerous petitions, like this one on ForceChange, were drawn up and signed, urging the president to prioritize our planet’s future over corporate profits.

The prohibition on Atlantic drilling demonstrates that progress is being made on this momentous issue. It is furthermore a testament to the importance—and the power—of grassroots organizing and activism. Without the groundswell of popular opposition, it is unlikely that Big Oil would have been barred access to the Atlantic.

Of course, the fight is far from over; but please acknowledge and support President Obama’s decision by signing the petition below. Showing support for realized progress is as important as demanding it.

PETITION LETTER:

President Obama,

I was pleased to learn of your administration’s decision to prohibit oil companies from drilling for fossil fuels in the Atlantic Ocean. This is a step toward realizing a sustainable future for our planet and all of its inhabitants. For that, I would like to thank you.

As the leader of the most powerful country in the world, you have the unique ability to effect real, tangible change in the way we relate to our environment and our fellow species. Thus, you also have an undeniable obligation to help lead the cause and prevent environmental catastrophe.

The struggle is far from complete, but I hope that your decision to protect the Atlantic Ocean from Big Oil is a sign of things to come. Please keep moving forward on this issue. Everything depends on it.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: U.S. Senate