PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Sign Our Petition Today for a Sensible, Long Term Gulf Coast Recovery Plan
  1. Signatures
    1,192 out of 2,000
    Petitioning
    1. Leader of Long-Term Gulf Coast Recovery Effort (Navy Secretary Ray Mabus)
  2. Created By
    ALLIANCE INSTITUTE
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Five years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall and the New Orleans levees failed, the city is on the rise thanks to the fierce determination and spirit of its residents. Yet there is so much work to be done, and so many who still want to return home.

The BP oil disaster has devastated communities and the livelihoods of countless more Gulf Coast residents, many of whom are still rebuilding after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav.

Take Action Today to support the Gulf Coast.

President Obama appointed Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to develop a Gulf Coast Recovery plan. The Alliance Institute has partnered with Oxfam America, the Gulf Coast Fund, Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, and over 100 other groups at the forefront of Gulf Coast recovery to release a blueprint for the long term recovery that calls for community-based, democratic, equitable and green solutions to the ongoing crises in the region.

Support the people of the Gulf Coast by urging the Obama Administration to equally value communities, environment and economic welfare in its Gulf Coast recovery plan.

Send a letter today to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus who is developing the plan in the aftermath of the BP oil spill and Hurricane Katrina. Ask him to adopt the recommendations of the new report "One Gulf, Resilient Gulf".

Recent Signatures

Gulf Coast Recovery Plan

Dear Secretary Mabus,

I appreciate your effort to make the restoration of the Gulf a national priority and to reach out to the people of the region for input in the Obama Administration's long-term recovery plan in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon Drilling Disaster. I want to give my support to your recent statements indicating your plan may offer training for new livelihoods opportunities for the people the Gulf "to restore the land that [they] love," and to help move the Gulf "from being so dependent on oil and gas."

Building on these ideas, I urge you to consider recommendations from Oxfam America, Gulf Coast Fund, Gulf Restoration Network, Alliance Institute, and over 100 organizations and networks across the region for building more resilient ecosystems, communities and local economies. Their report "One Gulf, Resilient gulf" (http://www.oxfamamerica.org/files/one-gulf-resilient-gulf.pdf) provides a roadmap for how the federal government can partner with citizens to create new livelihood opportunities through investments in making the natural, built, and social environments more resilient , allowing residents to continue the way of life and the nation to continue receiving the abundant benefits the Gulf of Mexico has to offer.

I urge you to follow their recommendations and:
--prioritize local hiring for all projects related to coastal restoration and cleaning up the oil spill which focuses training programs on those who have lost work from the BP disaster, as well as low income and communities of color;
--build coastal community resiliency through workforce and economic development;
--target funding to ensure the needs of the most socially vulnerable communities living on the coast are met, strengthening communities to withstand future disasters;
--include representatives of coastal communities in the decision making process;
--invest in ecosystem restoration and renewable energy technologies;
--ensure long-term federal funding through redirecting penalties and fines assessed on BP towards coastal community resiliency and by closing tax loopholes for oil and gas industry.

Thank you.

[Your name]

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