50 Days of BP on World Oceans Day

The devastating images of oil-coated wildlife are jarring reminders of what is at stake if we do not transition from dirty fuels towards clean, renewable energy sources. We must redouble our efforts for energy that will not spill into the oceans, exacerbate ocean acidification, or threaten human health.

Fifty days into the BP disaster, and on this World Oceans Day, we must all be recommitted to congressional action that will hold BP accountable, lift the liability caps, and ensure BP pays for the damage inflicted on workers, the environment and coastal economies.

This week, the Senate must show its commitment to clean energy by voting against Murkowski's brazen attempt to tie the hands of EPA. She must not prevail in preventing EPA from regulating global warming pollution, which even this Supreme Court ruled a threat to public health.

Their next step should be following the House leadership with the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), by enacting energy and climate legislation of their own -- and doing so quickly.

Big Oil's interests run as deep as the leak in the Gulf, and if we've learned anything over the last fifty days, it's that BP (remember Beyond Petroleum?) and others in the industry are interested less in our communities, oceans, worker safety and the environment than their bottom line.

For the members of Congress who have consistently voted in favor of oil and industry, I hope the catastrophic spectacle in the Gulf will help them reevaluate their policy to set America on the path to a clean energy future.

We must succeed so that the next World Oceans Day becomes a day for celebration.