[CINC] Fwd: Only 6 days to protect whales & improve air quality!

[Valerie Olson]

Hi All,

Thought the message below might be of interest to our volunteers.

Valerie Olson

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Betsy Weber-Environmental Defense Center <bweber at edcnet.org>
> Date: April 18, 2013 5:55:42 PM PDT
> To: vfolson at cox.net
> Subject: Only 6 days to protect whales & improve air quality!
> Reply-To: bweber at environmentaldefensecenter.org
>
> 							
>
>
>
> Dear Valerie,
>
> We have only six days to help protect whales in the Santa Barbara  
> Channel! Decision makers in Sacramento have an opportunity right  
> now to help reduce the number of whales struck by passing cargo  
> ships and at the same time make a positive climate impact and  
> improve air quality - but they need to hear from you now!
>
> Photo by Robert Perry
>
> For years EDC and our partners have been making the case that  
> simply slowing down cargo ships in the Santa Barbara Channel would  
> achieve many positive benefits for people and for our environment.  
> This simple step by itself would reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)  
> emissions and other air pollutants, improve public heath, and  
> better protect whales.  We need your voice today in asking State  
> Agencies to use newly available California Cap-and-Trade funds to  
> create an incentive program that would slow down cargo ships.
>
> There is a Draft Investment Plan being considered now that misses  
> an important opportunity to include this life saving effort for  
> whales - but it is not too late if we act now. Please join EDC and  
> our partners, the  Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and  
> Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, in requesting  
> the addition of our Vessel Speed Reduction Initiative (which is  
> missing from the Draft Plan) to the agencies' Final Plan.
>
> WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH 2 SIMPLE ACTIONS:
> Before 12 noon, next Wednesday April 24, 2013 send a message of  
> support for the Vessel Speed Reduction Initiative to California  
> Agencies at this link.
> Copy and paste the following message into your comments:
>
> Subject Line: Support for Vessel Speed Reduction Initiative
>
> Dear Ms. Nichols and California Air Pollution Control District  
> Board Members:
>
> Large cargo ships traveling off our coast produce significant GHG  
> and toxic air emissions that impact our coastal communities. Ship  
> strikes also pose a threat to whales. Slowing down cargo ships  
> meets multiple objectives in your Draft Cap-and-Trade Investment  
> Plan including: reducing GHG emissions and other air pollutants,  
> improving public health, and better protecting whales. I support  
> including vessel speed reduction in your Final Plan as a priority  
> for funding and request Cap-and-Trade money be directed to the  
> Vessel Speed Reduction Initiative.
>
> 2. Strengthen our voice by also sending us a copy of your message to:
> edc at environmentaldefensecenter.org. Our goal is to collect 50  
> letters of support by next Wednesday.
>
> Thanks for taking action to protect whales, to protect our clean  
> air and to help make a difference in combating climate change.
>
> Kristi Birney
>
> Marine Conservation Analyst, EDC
>
> P.S. Please consider forwarding this email to your network. The  
> whales need all the help they can get!
>
>
>
>
> Forward this email
>   	
> This email was sent to vfolson at cox.net by bweber at edcnet.org |
> Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with  
> SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
> Environmental Defense Center | 906 Garden Street | Santa Barbara |  
> CA | 93101

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.rain.org/pipermail/channel_islands_naturalist_corps/attachments/20130418/c30e924c/attachment-0001.html>