wow if we as individuals could actually do something to help we would, I would be confident everybody is like minded in that sense. (even the lil garden nole i spy)
if this helps... this is what our nj senator, Robert Menendez emailed me.. "Dear Mr. Perry: Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding offshore drilling. Your opinion is very important to me, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you on this critical issue. My longstanding fears about offshore drilling have been realized in the tragic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All Americans are saddened by the loss of life aboard the rig, enraged by BP's failure to prevent this from happening and heartbroken at the damage to our environment and our fishing and tourism economies. I lament that it took a tragedy like this one to cause our nation to rethink its policy on offshore drilling. Still, I take some measure of comfort that President Obama heeded my strenuous concerns about offshore drilling near New Jersey by cancelling a number of proposed lease sales, including one off the coast of Virginia that is less than 100 miles from the Jersey Shore. I have been speaking out for years on this unacceptable threat to our state and am glad that the President at last responded to my concerns. I also am heartened that President Obama has taken important first steps in responding to this tragedy by placing new restrictions on offshore drilling, imposing more stringent safety requirements, and announcing the creation of an independent commission to study our offshore drilling policy. But in addition to reforming how we drill and where we drill, we also need to ensure that oil companies are held accountable to clean up what they spill and pay for the damages any spill causes. When spills like the one in the Gulf do happen, I firmly believe in the polluter pays principle and that taxpayers should not have to pay one dime to clean up an oil company's mess. That is why I introduced the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Liability Act, which would eliminate the current $75 million liability cap so that oil companies who spill are fully responsible for compensating the damage they cause to wetlands, fisheries, small businesses, and coastal communities. I have also introduced the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Trust Fund Act, which would eliminate the $1 billion per incident cap on claims against the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, so that those who spill pay the bill for the clean-up, rather than the taxpayers. Taken together, these measures will discipline oil companies into putting safety first, or face the consequences. Going forward, I believe we need to shift to a fundamentally new energy paradigm. Now is the time to begin the transition away from dirty and dangerous sources of energy and toward a clean energy future, which will rebuild our manufacturing base by creating jobs in clean energy technology, make us more energy independent, and reduce global warming pollution. To that end, I am working with my colleagues to strengthen and pass comprehensive clean energy legislation this year. As the Senate debates our nation's energy policy, you can be sure I will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind regarding offshore drilling."
Thats horrible. I just hope this whole disaster wakes people up. I have no idea why we are still fueling with oil when there are other options. I really can't understand why there isn't a movement to push travel to more of a public level using magnetic trains. I've been called a hypocrite on here before for saying stuff like this because I ride a surfboard, but I don't care. I really believe the only way to handle this is to stop depending on oil, I know there are other people on here like myself who don't drive and are adults. Especially living in a beach town where in all reality you don't need a car to get around, owning a car and driving is a rather blatant example of being lazy... it's living up to the lazy American stereotype. Call me crazy, but my advice is to melt your keys and sell your car. I just hit the ten year mark without a car and it doesn't bother me one bit, even when I lived in Baltimore city I'd hitch the buses everywhere. Plus it keeps you in better shape because you're walking or riding a bike everywhere.
