In late April, sixteen Members of Congress joined together to take a stand against Big Oil and proposed offshore drilling in the waters of The Bahamas, in an area directly upwind, up-current, and adjacent to Miami. Now, more than ever, we need to see leadership like this.

Please support their stance by thanking them for writing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas. Your letter will be sent to: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, FL-23; Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, FL-26; Kathy Castor, FL-14; Matt Gaetz, FL-01; Donna E. Shalala, FL-27; Lois Frankel, FL-21; Darren Soto, FL-09; Charlie Crist, FL-13; Theodore E. Deutch, FL-22; Francis Rooney, Fl-19; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, NY-14; Alcee L. Hastings, FL-20; David E. Price, NC-04; Tom Malinowski, NJ-07; Al Lawson, FL-05; and Christopher H. Smith, NJ-04.

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Dear Members of Congress,

I am writing to thank you for your strong joint letter on April 17, 2020 to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Stephanie Bowers, Chargée d’Affairs at the United States Embassy in The Bahamas. I applaud you for taking this step to oppose offshore oil drilling in the sensitive waters of The Bahamas and adjacent to the Eastern United States. And I ask that you keep up the pressure on the U.S. State Department to help the government of The Bahamas say no to this risky enterprise.

In your letter, you correctly stated the significant risks posed by offshore drilling in Bahamian waters off the coast of Florida. The oil drilling site is just 150 miles directly upwind and up-current from Floridian beaches. And as you know, a significant or catastrophic spill would devastate Florida waters and severely impact other parts of the Atlantic and Southeastern United States, placing our coastal communities, beaches, and fisheries at risk.

Even without a catastrophic spill, we know that smaller oil spills, toxic discharges, and seismic disruption still occur from deepwater drilling, and this risky enterprise will have significant impacts on water quality, fisheries, marine mammals, and our climate. The United States should be helping the Bahamian government’s transition to clean energy and promoting sustainable fishing and tourism to build their economy, not assisting with foolish offshore drilling that places our two countries at risk.

Thank you for your leadership, and please continue to protect our shores from offshore oil drilling. We will be there with you.