By Seyi Fayanju
From Mobile to Metairie, many are gearing up for the grand finale of this season’s Mardi Gras celebrations next Tuesday. Even if you can’t make it to the Gulf Coast for the scheduled balls and bayou bonfires, you can still participate in an event that could have a lasting impact on Louisiana and its neighboring states.
For our RESTORE Act social media week of action, we encourage you to join the parade of citizens who are pressing Congress to commit oil spill fines from the BP oil disaster to environmental and economic restoration of the Gulf Coast. People across the political spectrum support this approach, but without congressional action, Clean Water Act fines from the spill may not be dedicated to economic recovery, wetland rehabilitation, beach cleanup, and other restorative initiatives that would be supported by the RESTORE Act.
Here are several ways that you can participate:
ONE: Send an email to your senator, asking them to make the RESTORE Act a priority and dedicate BP’s oil spill fines to restoration.
TWO: Use Twitter to tell Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) to pass the RESTORE Act.
Click to send this sample tweet: Speak up for the Gulf Coast! Tell @SenatorReid @McConnellPress to pass the #RESTOREAct NOW! #oilspill http://bit.ly/xYL6DW via @RestoreDelta
THREE: “Like” and “share” the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign’s RESTORE Act Facebook image to make sure that Senate leadership knows that Americans want to see BP’s oil spill fines dedicated to Gulf restoration.
Please spread the word to your friends and contacts. We hope that by the time Mardi Gras rolls around next year, mechanisms will be in place to ensure that the damage from the spill and other recent environmental disasters is finally being resolved in the Gulf Coast.
