Statement Reef Relief;
In response to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar’s announcement today to postpone further consideration of offshore drilling or leasing in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico for seven years, Reef Relief, a Florida based environmental organization, praised his decision and hopes to continue this moratorium indefinitely, until all assurances can be made to safeguard the coral reefs, coastal habitats, people and economies that depend on them throughout Florida and the Florida Keys.
“This is a common sense decision for an uncommon and unpopular problem of mixing oil drilling in an environment that cannot, at this time, support it”, said Paul Johnson, Policy and Projects Director for Reef Relief in Tallahassee.
Last June Reef Relief, along with over 100 business owners, citizens, and government officials in the Keys sent a letter to President Obama asking for a moratorium on drilling off Florida. The letter stated – “Please show the people of Florida, the Gulf coast and the entire United States that you do care and that some areas of our country are too environmentally sensitive and the economic consequences are too great for these extremely dangerous and risky activities to be seriously considered.”
For more information Contact:
Paul G. Johnson,State Programs & Policy Director
REEF RELIEF
Ph: 850-926-7439
Email: [email protected]