News reports concerning the Gulf Oil Disaster paint a picture of executive greed, scientific studies ignored, and government regulations disregarded. As we read these articles, we are reminded of the words of then presidential candidate Obama, "Workers are the eyes and ears of enforcement." With the Deepwater Horizon explosion as one of the biggest and worst environmental disasters in history, we are left asking, where were the whistleblowers?
On the day of this terrible disaster, and on the days that led up to
it, not a single employee who worked on the Deepwater Horizon rig or any
other offshore oil rig was entitled to meaningful whistleblower
protection! We know that a few brave employees raised their concerns
and were silenced or ignored. We also know that the key laws that
govern offshore drilling: the Outer Continental Shelf Act, the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990, and the Endangered Species Act, contain no
whistleblower protections whatsoever.
TAKE ACTION! Demand Congress Protect Environmental Whistleblowers!
Encouraging employees to blow the whistle is essential preventing
catastrophes before they happen. Whistleblowers must be protected to
ensure that workers who have the courage to testify against BP,
Halliburton, Transocean and the corrupt regulators at the Minerals
Management Service are encouraged to speak out and are fully protected.
Congress must immediately enact broad, effective whistleblower
protections that cover the entire offshore drilling industry and its
regulators. Congressmen Edward J. Markey (D - MA,7) and George Miller
(D - CA,7) have introduced the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower
Protection Act of 2011. This law must pass!
Take
Action Now! Tell your representatives in Congress to enact H.R.
501 and H.R.
503, whistleblower legislation necessary to protect the employees
in the offshore drilling industry who witness the blatant disregard for
environmental and safety regulations every day.
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