2015 - Page 2 of 8 - Oceana USA

Thank you, Charm City! Largest East Coast City to Date Comes Out Against Offshore Drilling

Last Monday, Baltimore became the largest city to formally oppose offshore drilling along the East Coast. These waters have been closed to drilling activities for more than 30 years, but now the Obama administration is considering opening up a wide stretch of the Atlantic, from Virginia to Georgia. Coastal states are speaking out and fighting … Read more

Sign the Surfboard

Guest post by Pete Stauffer, Environmental Director at Surfrider Foundation Businesses along the eastern seaboard are speaking out against proposed offshore drilling in the Atlantic by signing a surfboard that is making its way from Miami, Florida to Washington D.C. A project of the Surfrider Foundation, the ‘Sign the Surfboard’ campaign launched August, with the … Read more

100% of South Carolina Coastal Communities Say No to Offshore Oil

Yesterday, Briarcliffe Acres became the latest community in South Carolina to come out against offshore drilling off the state’s coast, an area that has been closed to such activities for more than three decades. This development means that now 100 percent of coastal cities and towns in South Carolina formally oppose seismic airgun blasting and/or … Read more

Senators Push Federal Government to End Wasted Catch in U.S. Fisheries and Save Threatened Dusky Sharks

Today, Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter calling on the U.S. federal government to take immediate action to decrease the number of dusky sharks killed as unintended catch in U.S. fisheries. This letter highlights the dramatic decline of these shark populations in the Atlantic and Gulf due … Read more

The Offshore Production and Energizing National Security Act is Heading to a Beach Near You

On July 30th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the Offshore Production and Energizing National Security (OPENS) Act by a vote of 12 to 10. For those unfamiliar with this nasty bit of legislation, the OPENS Act, introduced by Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), can be loosely summarized as a combination of three previously … Read more

Leatherback Conservation Day 2015!

Happy Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day! Join Oceana in celebrating California’s third annual Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day, an entire day designated to celebrating the ocean’s living dinosaur. Today’s festivities are not limited to only California residents. We encourage everyone around the world to take a moment to learn and share with your friends, family, … Read more

Big Protections for Endangered Whales, Turtles, and Sharks: One Step Closer to a Clean U.S. West Coast Swordfish Fishery

September was a monumental month for some of the U.S. West Coast’s most endangered whales and sea turtles. In a landmark decision, the federal Pacific Fishery Management Council (“Council”) adopted hard limits on the number of endangered marine mammals and sea turtles that can be injured or killed in the drift gillnet fishery that targets … Read more

Nothing Will Take the Wind out of This Industry’s Sails

This week, Oceana and other stakeholders are gathering in Baltimore, MD for the American Wind Energy Association conference on offshore wind power. This event connects the latest in offshore wind energy policy, education, and business, and features keynote speaker Abby Hopper, BOEM Director. The meeting provides an opportunity to examine offshore wind’s promise, as well … Read more

Sam Waterston and Oceana Team Up to Expose Shell’s Risks in Arctic Ocean Drilling

The Arctic Ocean is at a crossroads. Off northern Alaska, the U.S. Arctic waters are home to diverse and globally important wildlife, like polar bears, bowhead whales, walrus, ice seals, and seabirds, and provide food and cultural importance to Alaskan Native peoples who have lived in coastal communities for thousands of years. Climates around the … Read more

Tourism and Oils Spills Don’t Mix

Oceana recently released a fact sheet detailing the economic impacts to tourism after the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Analyses found that tourism significantly declined after the spill, even in neighboring Gulf States that were largely free of oil on their beaches. Hotels and restaurants throughout the Gulf experienced … Read more