Out of tragedy comes triumph,

Nothing sexy about an oil spill.

or at least I am hoping so. As sludge and filth wash upon the shores of some of our nation’s most cherished landscapes, we the people of America have began to heed the calls for serious environmental policy reform. Only now, with what has quickly became the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States, have we started to look beyond the convenience oil has provided to the devastating consequences innate to its continued usage.

Well many of us have, but not all. Our Governor, Bob McDonnell, has not only stood unwavering in his support for drilling off Virginia’s coast, but in the face of this calamity he has shown not even the slightest pause for reflection.

While this disaster has pushed many to reconsider their positions as “Drill baby Drill” cheerleaders, others like our own Bob have refused to take any lesson from the catastrophe. Having campaigned on offshore drilling as his ‘fix all’ for our economy and in particular transportation problems, one can see why he would be reluctant to admit there could be some difficulty with the same technology he hopes to put off our coast. Doggedly pushing forward, McDonnell has already dismissed legitimate concerns from the Department of Defense and NASA, two of the major economic players in our region. Why would we expect him to slip in his step over some small inconvenience like a calamity we may be dealing with for decades to come?

Politicians around the nation have been redefining the issue, attempting to undermine the magnitude of what has happened.  The Senator of Louisiana, David Vitter, has likened the oil spill to an airplane crash stating, “…after every plane crash, you and I should both oppose plane travel.” This coming from a man whose state stands to lose not only its entire fishing industry, but also over 100 miles of stunning wetlands and coast. So, if this is how the lesson is sinking in to the leadership of the hardest hit state, should we be surprised that our governor has taken a similar line of thinking?

McDonnell and many other drilling advocates around our nation seem to think that a plane crash is a pretty sound comparison to the Gulf Oil spill. Let us be clear: an airplane crash is a devastating event, but that said, an airplane crash has never ravaged hundreds of miles of coast, threatened a delicate and vital ecosystem, and caused thousands upon thousands of people to lose their livelihood. The weak analogies being offered to lessen the impact on the consciousness of American citizens need to be dismissed as such, lest we run the risk of repeat.

Hands touching hands.

In defending his continued desire to drill in the face of this disaster Governor McDonnell declared, “What we shouldn’t do is stop progress altogether, and say we shouldn’t get into this business venture.” People in Virginia need to make it clear that we refuse this line of thinking that defines off-shore drilling as “progress,” and views our nation’s energy needs as nothing more than a financial transaction. This paradigm needs to be discarded in favor of a more honest and forward thinking energy policy.  The penalties for continued dependency on oil are not limited to the very apparent horrors lapping the shores of the gulf coast. This is an addiction that ultimately leads to increased global warming, detrimental effects on the health of human beings, and poor financial decisions for Virginia and its infrastructure.

As if it is not bad enough that our Governor has no time to consider what a spill of this scale would do to Virginia’s (and Maryland’s, Delaware’s, and North and South Carolina’s) coasts, he wants to fast track the whole project. He wants to rush the plans to drill off our coasts. When asked for a response to the spill he replied, “This is certainly a setback, but I certainly continue to be dedicated to making us first to drill, 2012 at the latest…”

Why was it that the Oil Rig fell into the ocean? Oh yeah, I believe that the going theory is that BP rushed and cut corners. Bob has not learned a lesson; he is trying to overcome a “setback.”

This is a significant moment in time, and only history will be able to tell us just how important our role was.

Join together for Hands Across the Sand, June 26th, 11am

Make your opinion known. It is not written in stone that our coasts will be blighted by the presence of off-shore drilling rigs, or that we must live in the constant shadow of disaster. Show Governor McDonnell and the Federal Government that our coasts are not a “Business Venture,” and that we want Virginia to invest in the future of energy technology, not the failed practices of the past. Get involved and make sure that from this heartbreak springs a new chapter in America’s relationship with the world about us.

This is about as close as we are going to get to giving this planet the giant hug it so richly deserves right now. Saturday June 26th, the Sierra Club, The Surfrider Foundation, and many other outstanding organizations are coming together with thousands of Virginia’s citizens and people around the world for the “Hands Across the Sand” day. At 11am participants will meet at the beach and join hands, sending the message that Virginians say, “No to offshore drilling” and “Yes to clean energy.”

We have not been nice to our world. Here is your chance to reassure her that we really are trying to get better. Come on out Hampton Roads; bring your friends, bring your family and let’s show some love.

I think this planet has earned it.

For more information regarding the “Hands Across the Sand” project, click here.