The fight to protect Mississippi’s waters and Gulf Islands National Seashore from offshore oil and gas drilling is heating up. Right now, Gulf Restoration and our partners are suing the Mississippi Development Authority over proposed rules for drilling, but ultimately its up to the Governor whether or not to let plans for drilling move forward. Can you take a minute to tell the Governor and MDA to reject offshore oil and gas in Mississippi’s waters?http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50843/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11104At one of the hearings for our legal case, our witnesses laid out a clear case for why drilling in state waters is a bad idea for the health of Mississippi’s coast and economy. Tourism is the second largest employer on the coast, and generates almost $1.8 billion a year in economic activity, yet MDA completely failed to look at how this and other industries might be impacted by drilling rigs on the horizon! According to our witness Dr. Jeff Bounds, if just 3% of tourists decide they don’t want to come to the coast because of the view of rigs and potential for pollution, then the state would actually lose revenue.Click here to tell your leaders to protect Mississippi’s coast and economy by rejecting oil and gas in state waters.Rigs and platforms along Mississippi’s coast also mean more pipelines, more industrial ship traffic, and a greater risk for accidents like the BP drilling disaster. On Dauphin Island, releases of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas are such a regular occurrence that the island has a warning system in place, and detailed response and evacuation plans. Imagine having to deal with a toxic release like that on a beautiful summer day as hundreds of people are enjoying the beach at Ship Island.Please take action to say no to oil and gas in Mississippi’s waters.Raleigh Hoke is GRN’s Mississippi Organizer.
