Letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States - Work with Canadian Government to Review Safety of Canadian Wells, Encourage Ban of Any New Oil and Gas Operations in Great Lakes

Letter

Today, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to work with the Canadian government to review the safety of current oil and gas drilling operations. She also requested that the President encourage Canada to ban any new operations in the Great Lakes. Stabenow authored the current ban on U.S. offshore oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes.

Full text of the letter below:

Dear President Obama,

On April 20, 2010, we all witnessed one of the most devastating offshore drilling accidents in our history. Tragically, 11 workers lost their lives, and millions of gallons of oil have been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico. With nearly 5 million acres of coastal wetlands and 1300 miles of shoreline, Gulf Coast residents and some of our country's most important tourism and fishing industries are now at risk.

Given these events, I believe it is important that we take steps to ensure that an accident like this can never happen in the Great Lakes. As you know, the Great Lakes make up make up nearly 90% of the fresh surface water in the United States, and 20% of the world's fresh surface water supply. An oil spill in this area would cripple the Great Lakes States' economies and deeply impact our nation's fresh water supply.

In 2001 I authored a ban on new oil and gas drilling of any kind in the United States' waters of the Great Lakes. The ban is now permanent. This ban, however, does not extend to Canadian waters. In fact, Canada has extensive oil and gas operations in their part of Lake Erie. The Canadian oil and gas operations have not had an accident since 1959. However, I believe that the events in the Gulf Coast demonstrate that we must remain vigilant because a catastrophic accident could happen at any time.

Therefore, I would strongly encourage you to work with the Canadian government to review the safety of their current operations and encourage Canada to ban any new oil and gas operations in the Great Lakes. The Canadian government has signaled their willingness to discuss these issues with your administration. I am sure that you agree that now is the time to make sure that the Great Lakes we both love are protected from this kind of disaster.

Thank you for your on-going commitment to preserving and protecting the Great Lakes.

Sincerely,

Debbie Stabenow

United States Senator

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