January 27, 2010
PURRE's main mission now is dealing with nutrient loads in inshore waters -- "cleaning up our own backyard," the Caloosahatchee watershed and estuary, particularly in Lee County. But cleaning up our own backyard will be a fruitless endeavor if what weI call "onshore drilling" three to 10 miles off Florida's shores is allowed to happen. If there was a spill, there would not be enough time to clean it up before it reached our beaches, and the wells would be visible for miles.There are many reasons to oppose drilling this close to our precious shores. A group called Hands Across the Sands is building momentum and planning an event in February. While PURRE has not made plans to participate, we want you to have this information should you decide to learn more or take part.
Michael J. Valiquette, PURRE Chairman
Hands Across the Sands Web site describes their movement this way:
"In the near future the Citizens of Florida will have an opportunity to show their opposition to oil drilling as close as 3 to 10 miles off our coast. This movement will be made of people of all walks of life and will cross political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our shoreline, our tourism, our valuable properties and our way of life. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting our waterways and beaches from the devastating effects of oil drilling."
For more information, visit their Web site at http://handsacrossthesand.com/
