During the final public meeting on the BP oil spill disaster, the Oil Spill Commission indicated that it would recommend reforms to address the current regime of lax safety and environmental regulations, future oil spill response, and Gulf Coast restoration. Not surprisingly, one theme surfaced that cuts across all of these areas – the need for increased local engagement and strong citizen oversight of Gulf oil and gas activities.
To that end, the Oil Spill Commission is considering recommending Gulf Coast Citizens’ Advisory Councils – an opportunity for local communities to have a role in protecting their environment and securing their livelihoods.
You can tell the Oil SPill Commission to include the creation of Gulf Coast Citizens’ Advisory Councils in their final recommendations by going to our petition site here. Can you help make tragedies like the BP oil spill a thing of the past by making sure citizen participation is how we do things in the future? By making sure that we are the watchdogs, we can insure that the watchdogs over our safety do not become the lapdogs of industry.
The Texas Progressive Alliance is tracking reports of sugar plum sightings as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.
