Press Release
October 5, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2021

CONTACT: Annette Majerowicz, 847-977-4434, [email protected]

LOS ANGELES, CA – California Environmental Voters released the following statement in response to this weekend’s oil spill off the coast of Orange County, California. An oil pipeline failure caused an estimated 126,000 gallons of oil to spill into coastal waters and sent oil to the shores of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.

Statement from Mike Young, Political and Organizing Director, California Environmental Voters:

“The impacts of this spill will be far reaching, affecting the local economy, the environment, wildlife, and the beaches that Californians love and enjoy. The oil company that owns the pipeline should be held fully financially responsible for the spill and cleanup.

These types of oil spills don’t happen in isolation and they shouldn’t come as a surprise. Along with intensified droughts and rampant wildfires, they are a direct consequence of our continued use of fossil fuels and highlight our urgent need to transition to clean energy sources. They are a visceral and visual reminder of the cost of this dependence and the price we will be paying for generations to come.

The only way to truly prevent oil spills is for our country to shift away from our dependence on fossil fuels and transition to clean, renewable energy. This latest disaster only highlights why we must pass bold climate legislation now – including both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act at the federal level. And here at home, we need California’s state legislature to be more willing to stand up to corporate polluters and pass far-reaching climate and clean energy legislation.

We have the opportunity to transition to a clean energy economy and we must seize it. With less than a decade left to address the climate crisis, action is urgently needed now.”

California Environmental Voters (formerly the California League of Conservation Voters) believes the climate crisis is here and this moment requires transformative change. California has the policy solutions to stop climate change but lacks the political will to do it at the rate and scale that’s necessary. EnviroVoters exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. We organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. We won’t stop until we have resilient, healthy, thriving communities, and a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all. Join us at www.envirovoters.org and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. See more press releases.

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The month of March is Public Lands Month, and we’ve got some big goals. We’re pushing for 5 national monument designations while fighting for clean water, Indigenous land protection, ecosystem conservation, and increasing access to nature. 

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