Tell McCain: No Offshore Drilling

In 1969, an offshore rig spilled 3 million gallons of oil off the coast of Santa Barbara. Oil-drenched sea birds and beaches galvanized concerned citizens, who worked to institute a moratorium on offshore drilling. In June of this year, President Bush demanded that Congress lift the ban on offshore oil drilling that's been protecting our beaches for 27 years.

Why? It comes down to fearmongering and oil company profits. Economists, environmentalists, and energy experts agree that this plan would have zero effect on gas prices in the next six years, let alone the next six months.

So we asked those of you who live in coastal states to fight back by asking your governors to speak out against this reckless proposal. 30,000 of you answered our call, as did many of your governors, but Congress isn't listening. Neither are the presidential candidates.

Senator McCain was against oil drilling before he was running for President, but times have changed.

In June, McCain did a complete 180 on his original position, and his switch has left him awash in oil industry donations. As a leading voice on campaign finance, this is worse than hypocritical. Offshore drilling is wrong for the country and against everything McCain stood for before running for president. He needs to flop back and do what he knows is right and supported in the past: no new drilling.

Now, McCain has the gall to run political spots featuring himself as an advocate for renewable energy. The oil executives might be buying these lines, but we aren't. This rhetoric is dangerous, and the American people deserve better.

With House Republicans threatening to shut down the government unless offshore drilling is approved, we especially need Senator McCain to stop playing politics with our environment and our energy crisis. Sign this petition today.