Join the call for a moratorium on rig removals!

[chicapesca]

Act Now to Stop the Destruction of Marine Habitat

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) shares the concerns of the recreational angling community and is calling for a temporary moratorium on the Department of Interior’s controversial Idle Iron directive that stands to destroy the largest man-made reef in the world - the vast forest of rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Coastal Conservation Association applauds this effort by Rep. Palazzo as well as the support of other important Congressional leaders, and has been joined by the largest marine conservation, tackle and boating organizations in the country in the fight to protect this extensive artificial reef system. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of structures are on the chopping block as a result of the Idle Iron policy. A typical four-legged platform becomes the equivalent of two to three acres of vibrant habitat in the Gulf - home to populations of fish, coral, shellfish, turtles and sea mammals.

Rep. Palazzo is circulating a letter to members of Congress and inviting them to join him in calling for a temporary moratorium on rig removals related to the Idle Iron Policy to allow time to develop a thoughtful, rational process to evaluate those structures and keep as many as safely possible in the water. The letter has the support of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus leadership.

Please join Rep. Palazzo, CCA and the community of recreational anglers and divers fighting to protect these unique ecosystems. Click on the link below to send a message to your elected representatives and encourage them to add their signatures to the letter to the Department of Interior calling for a moratorium.



Click the link below to log in and send your message:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/coastal/2JPFt3N2.aspx

[capt mike]

i respect and applaud Rep. Palazzo for his continuing efforts on this issue, and I can say I am ashamed of our Texas Congressional members who have demonstrated nothing but apathy toward their constituents and their coast on the rigs removal disaster. Mike Nugent

[Snookered]

thanks for posting Chica, letters sent.....
snookered

[chicapesca]

Deadline Looming for Your Congressmen
to Help Save Gulf Marine Habitat

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) is circulating a letter to members of Congress and inviting them to join a call for a temporary moratorium on rig removals related to the Idle Iron Policy. A moratorium is needed to allow time to develop a thoughtful, rational process to evaluate those structures and keep as many as safely possible in the water. The deadline for your Congressmen to sign on in support of protecting that habitat is July 17.

The rigs and related structures in the Gulf of Mexico are regarded as the largest artificial reef in the world. In fact, the recovery plans for cherished species like red snapper are dependent on the presence of that structure. Yet in a misguided response to the 2010 Gulf oil spill, the U.S. Department of Interior issued the Idle Iron directive in October of 2010 ordering that all non-producing wells be plugged and any associated structures removed within five years of the issuance of that directive.

Please join Rep. Palazzo, CCA and the community of recreational anglers and divers fighting to protect these unique ecosystems. CLICK HERE or below to send a message to your elected representatives and encourage them to add their signatures to the letter to the Department of Interior calling for a moratorium.

Act now - the deadline for Congressmen to sign onto Rep. Palazzo's letter is July 17!

For more information on the Idle Iron directive, visit the CCA Rigs to Reefs page.






Click the link below to log in and send your message:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/coastal/gMz2bGtR.aspx

[txaggie08]

I sent this back in response to Hutchinson's canned response. You may not agree with some of the sentiment, but it's time to start working on real world problems....

"From a constituent that has previously not particularly supported you in the past, you would go a long way towards winning thousands of fisherman and sportsman in the gulf coast area over if you would become more pro-active in campaigning to ask congress for an IMMEDIATE halt, instead of allowing this to fester in committee. While congress "discusses" this, 100's of rigs are being eliminated in the gulf, several per day. Congress needs to ACT instead of TALK for once, and stop something potentially harmful.

Congressmen often wonder why they are accused of being corrupt, uncaring, and unresponsive, and canned letters like these, most likely written by secretaries and aides, blowing off constituents who do not meet the "let no crisis go to waste" standard, while they are given 100% effort gets frustrating. The democrats rammed a bill that was despised through congress in a few days because it was a pet project, I wish one of our senators would step up and fight for the thousands of men and women who fish the gulf commercially and recreationally, who sell and service those individuals, and the communities that depend on their business, Instead of fighting to keep LGBT people from marrying, FOR big authoritarian government, for a liberal agenda cloaked in the guise of religion. Quit worrying about what's going on between consenting adults and start worrying about the real world, the HERE AND NOW!"

[EndTuition]

How can we get a copy, and see who signed it ?

[chicapesca]

Originally Posted by EndTuition

How can we get a copy, and see who signed it ?

They were waiting on stragglers to sign the letter on Tuesday, so it was a little late getting to the Secretary of the Interior. The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus then put out their press release.

I just posted CCA's release on the letter.

[Absolut]

Originally Posted by txaggie08

I sent this back in response to Hutchinson's canned response. You may not agree with some of the sentiment, but it's time to start working on real world problems....

"From a constituent that has previously not particularly supported you in the past, you would go a long way towards winning thousands of fisherman and sportsman in the gulf coast area over if you would become more pro-active in campaigning to ask congress for an IMMEDIATE halt, instead of allowing this to fester in committee. While congress "discusses" this, 100's of rigs are being eliminated in the gulf, several per day. Congress needs to ACT instead of TALK for once, and stop something potentially harmful.

Congressmen often wonder why they are accused of being corrupt, uncaring, and unresponsive, and canned letters like these, most likely written by secretaries and aides, blowing off constituents who do not meet the "let no crisis go to waste" standard, while they are given 100% effort gets frustrating. The democrats rammed a bill that was despised through congress in a few days because it was a pet project, I wish one of our senators would step up and fight for the thousands of men and women who fish the gulf commercially and recreationally, who sell and service those individuals, and the communities that depend on their business, Instead of fighting to keep LGBT people from marrying, FOR big authoritarian government, for a liberal agenda cloaked in the guise of religion. Quit worrying about what's going on between consenting adults and start worrying about the real world, the HERE AND NOW!"

I got the same BS letter in response from the couple I sent letters too, and have got nothing additional since then. Unfortunately, it was about what I expected... Not that I won't keep trying though