Your Signature is Needed: Protect the critically endangered Rice’s whale from Big Oil

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACTION ALERT: Stop Big Oil from drilling in critical habitat for one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth! >> [Act now!]( Rice’s whales are gentle giants discovered less than 2 years ago in the Gulf of Mexico. With only an estimated 51 WHALES remaining, they could already be extinct in just a few years. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced three new lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, including Rice’s whale habitat. These sales would allow greedy oil companies to build massive offshore drilling rigs to suck fossil fuels from below the ocean floor, risking catastrophic oil spills! Gulf communities have felt the devastation of oil spills before: toxic pollution, destroyed beaches, the stench of decaying animals washed onto shore. Many communities have never fully recovered. We could risk it all happening again without your immediate help – this time potentially DOOMING Rice’s whale to extinction. [Please, Friend, tell BOEM to STOP offshore drilling in Rice’s whale habitat and protect our communities and oceans from oil spills before it’s too late!]( *Your Signature is Missing* [SIGN THE PETITION NOW]( Oil spills are not a matter of IF but of WHEN. In the Gulf Coast, offshore pipeline leaks happen at a 10x HIGHER RATE compared to the rest of the country. One lease sale permitting Big Oil to drill in our oceans is bad enough. Three is far too high of a risk. Fishing is a vital part of the economy for many Gulf communities. These lease sales could risk the entire livelihoods of thousands living along the coast. The severe health impacts from oil spills make the situation even worse. Toxic fumes from oil-stained shores can cause trouble breathing, heart damage, and damage to immune systems. The choice is clear, Friend: BOEM can choose to let Big Oil drill in critical Rice’s whale habitat and risk another oil spill in the Gulf, or it can protect communities and wildlife on our coasts. But we’re running out of time before this comment period closes! [We need 938 more signatures from your area to hit our MIDNIGHT GOAL, Friend. Please send your message to BOEM now and prevent drilling in the critically endangered Rice’s whale habitat!]( [SIGN THE PETITION NOW]( Standing with you, Hallie Templeton Legal Director & Senior Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 [Contact us](foe.org/about-us/contact/) Email Preferences: [Click here to unsubscribe]( Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Flickr]( © 2021, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved. [supporter]