Green Party Watch

From the Green Party of the United States:

On Tuesday night, President Obama addressed the nation in regards to the disaster that continues to pour oil from a damaged BP deep water well into the Gulf of Mexico.  The Green Party urges all its supporters to continue to contribute, volunteer, and support Green Party candidates on the local, state, and federal level as they put pressure on the United States Congress and Obama administration to respond quickly and effectively to the continuing crisis.

Green Party leaders and candidates have been responded to this crisis since the initial explosion on April 20th that killed eleven workers and caused the massive oil leak that has yet to be stopped.

Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, said on April 22nd:

“We are shocked that President Obama has reversed his campaign position and adopted the Republicans’ ”drill, baby, drill” agenda. The President intends to allow the fossil fuel industry to drill in wide ocean expanses that have been off-limits to drilling for two decades. There is no way to guarantee complete safety from spills.

If part of the east coast of the US suffered a spill comparable to the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, the result would be a catastrophe for public health and valuable natural habitats.”

On April 29th, the Green Party of Florida called on Florida Governor Charlie Crist and President Obama to declare a state of emergency and “take immediate action to mobilize all available resources to protect coastal communities and wildlife habitats”.

The Green Party notes that although President Obama announced a moratorium on new deep-water drilling permits in Tuesday night’s address, deep-water wells currently in operation are continuing to pump oil.

The President announced that he will require BP to establish a relief fund to help cover clean-up expenses.

Howie Hawkins, Green Party candidate for Governor of New York, noted:

“It is imperative that the US government seize BP’s assets to insure they are used to pay for damages and clean-up from the oil blowout before BP’s executives and owners cash out and leave the taxpayers holding the bag. It is equally imperative that the trustees of the fund to administer the use of BP’s seized assets represent the people affected and include Gulf Coast representatives of the workers, unions, and small businesses of the fishing, shrimping, crabbing, tourism, and recreation industries, local elected officials, and independent scientists and environmentalists.”

President Obama noted that “For decades, we have talked and talked about the need to end America’s century-long addiction to fossil fuels. And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that this challenge requires. Time and again, the path forward has been blocked – not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack of political courage and candor.”

The Green Party hopes that the Obama administration can finally summon the courage to tackle our national addiction to oil.  For decades, the Green Party has worked to introduce concepts like sustainability and ecology into the American political debate.

Rich Whitney, Green Party candidate for Governor of Illinois, notes that “a new political force is emerging to help win the struggle for a healthy and sustainable environment: The Green Party.”

All of our candidates and party leaders continue to call for those in power to use our resources to stop this disaster, clean up the oil, and take real steps to make sure that future accidents with destructive fossil fuels never happen again.
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