Congress has finally introduced a bill to help restore the Gulf by directing fines and penalties paid by BP and other responsible parties to the Gulf for ecosystem restoration.Here in the Gulf, let’stake a moment tothank our senatorsfor working together to introduce the Restore The Gulf Coast Act of 2011, and ask our representatives to follow suit.Thanks to the nine of ten Gulf state senators who co-sponsored this legislation, and to Senator Barbara Boxer, who helped keep the legislation on track! If you aren’t from the Gulf, or California, simply call your Senators and ask them to support the RESTORE Act.The Gulf has long borne the burden of our nation’s oil dependency, and it’s absolutely appropriate for the fines from the nation’s largest deepwater drilling disaster to be put to work to restore the ecosystem that has been imperiled by the oil industry. Congress should also strengthen rules to prevent future oil disasters.Today, Gulf Coast citizens will join together for a call-in dayto thank our Senators for introducing legislation that would invest billions of dollars of Clean Water Act penalties in ecosystem and economic restoration across the Gulf, and urge passage of legislation that would create a Gulf of Mexico Regional Citizens Advisory Council to help ensure safe drilling practices.How can you help?Thank your senatorsand contact your representativetoday.Follow this link to find your officials and their numbers,Deliver the important message on the page, andLog your call, or respond to this email, to let us know how they respond. More info here:http://grn.convio.net/site/Advocacy?alertId=275&pg=makeACall.Thanks for taking the time to make these calls for the Gulf today.Aaron Viles is GRN’s Deputy Director. You can follow him on twitter here.
