Press release

Gulf ads thank Gulf senators for passing Gulf restoration amendment

Contacts:
Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.572.3331, scrowley@edf.org
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org
Heather Layman, The Nature Conservancy, 703.475.1733, hlayman@tnc.org
David Willett, Ocean Conservancy, 202.351.0465, dwillett@oceanconservancy.org
Laura Rusu, Oxfam America, 202.496.1169, lrusu@oxfamamerica.org

(Washington, D.C.—March 23, 2012) Five Gulf state newspapers will run full-page color ads starting today thanking the nine Gulf senators who recently voted in favor of legislation to dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from the parties responsible for the Gulf oil spill to restoring the Gulf ecosystem and economy.

The ads features a “thank you” from 62 Gulf businesses, business groups and restoration advocacy groups to the nine Gulf senators who “led an overwhelmingly bipartisan group of 76 senators to pass the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act [PDF] [to] help repair and strengthen the communities, businesses and environment…still suffering nearly two years after the unprecedented Gulf oil disaster.”

The full-page color ads, which cost a total of $45,000, are paid for by: National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, Oxfam America and Ocean Conservancy. The ads will run on the following dates in the following newspapers:

*Cosponsored and voted for RESTORE Act
** Voted for RESTORE Act

The House already has approved a similar RESTORE Act amendment sponsored by Congressman Steve Scalise (R-La.) as part of the House transportation bill.

The Gulf businesses, business groups and restoration advocacy groups signing the thank you ads include:M

  1. Alabama Coastal Foundation
  2. Alabama Forest Resources Center
  3. Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce
  4. Alabama Wildlife Federation
  5. American Shore and Beach Preservation Association
  6. American Shore and Beach Preservation Association – Texas Chapter
  7. Apalachee Land Conservancy
  8. Baton Rouge Audubon Society
  9. Biohabitats, Inc.
  10. Birmingham Audubon Society
  11. Canal Barge Company, Inc.
  12. Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
  13. Coast Builders Coalition
  14. Coastal Bend Audubon Society
  15. Coastal Resiliency Coalition
  16. Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast
  17. The Conservation Fund
  18. Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary
  19. Dredging Contractors of America
  20. Environmental Defense Fund
  21. Florida’s Nature Coast Conservancy
  22. Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
  23. Florida Wildlife Federation
  24. Francis M. Weston Audubon Society
  25. Galveston Bay Foundation
  26. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC
  27. Greater New Orleans, Inc.
  28. Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association
  29. Gulf Restoration Network
  30. Gulf United Metro Business Organization
  31. Houston Audubon Society
  32. Houston Wilderness
  33. Keith and Schnars, P.A.
  34. Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
  35. Land Trust Accreditation Commission
  36. Land Trust Alliance
  37. Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain
  38. Louisiana Restaurant Association
  39. Louisiana Wildlife Federation
  40. Mississippi Coast Audubon Society
  41. Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association
  42. Mississippi Wildlife Federation
  43. Mobile Bay Audubon Society
  44. Mobile Baykeeper
  45. National Audubon Society
  46. National Parks Conservation Association
  47. National Wildlife Federation
  48. The Nature Conservancy
  49. New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau
  50. Ocean Conservancy
  51. Oktibbeha Audubon Society
  52. Orleans Audubon Society
  53. Oxfam America
  54. Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation
  55. South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce
  56. St. Bernard Parish Government
  57. Texas Conservation Alliance
  58. Tierra Resources LLC
  59. Weeks Bay Foundation
  60. Weeks Marine
  61. Weston Solutions, Inc.
  62. Women of the Storm

With more than 3 million members, Environmental Defense Fund creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships to turn solutions into action. edf.org