Sierra Club Executive Committee member Olin Jenner recently gave testimony at the Maine Legislature in support of LD 450: An act to prevent oil spills in Casco Bay.
"Dear Senator Saviello and Representative Tucker,
My name is Olin Jenner and on behalf of the more than 18,000 Sierra Club members and supporters in Maine, I appreciate the opportunity to express our support for LD 450: An Act To Prevent Oil Spills in Casco Bay.
Oil spills, no matter how small or seemingly in significant, can harm the surrounding marine environment and damage ecological services that benefit Mainer’s. Taking common sense measures to prevent oil spills in coastal waters is smart policy that should receive broad support from across the political spectrum.
The use of an oil boom is a preventative measure that would minimize the impact of a spill protecting important coastal waters of Casco Bay. These are simple devices that when deployed prior an incident can help to absorb any spilled oil.
Tourists come from all over the world to visit and explore coastal Maine. We have a coastline that is renowned around the world for its intrinsic beauty and stunning vistas. We also rely on these tourists to stimulate and sustain our economy. We are, in effect, selling the natural beauty of our state and capitalizing on tourists who are interested in visiting and enjoying our way of life. Anything that jeopardizes our picturesque coastline should be seen as a threat to our economy. Oil spills, regardless of the size, have an inherently negative stigma and should be avoided to protect the larger tourist based economy. This measure would protect not only our marine environment that directly supports an entire community of fishermen and lobstermen, but it would also serve to protect our image as a beautiful place worth visiting.
Oil spills can have a severally negative impact on a marine environment. Plants and animals are directly threatened by these spills. Additionally, our economy relies on the yearly pilgrimage of tourists who come to recreate and enjoy the world-class scenery, placing our economy at risk is not in our best interest. We urge you to vote “ought to pass” on LD 450."