Comments and Hearings on Coastal Drilling

[executrix]

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Management is accepting comments until March 9 on its Very Beautiful and Brilliant Plan* to allow 90% of the coast to be used to drill for oil. There is also a schedule of public hearings, although several of them have been marked "postponed" FWIW. For the hearing schedule and the comment form,

https://sierra.secure.force.com/actions/National?actionId=AR0101303&id=7010Z000001P6KJQA0&data=244fc4fb75bca46fdd0b079a13c824e70abecb1d9c33d69f658a95583c1058c883f59830bcab095ce16e9745584d5b50&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sierraclub&utm_campaign=ourwildamerica&utm_content=offshore

If you've never submitted a comment to an administrative agency online, it's easy and fun! The agencies rely on being able to say that the rule must be OK because hardly anybody opposed it. They're still allowed to commit Dirty Deeds at the Crossroads, but they can't say that they had the endorsement of the public, and the comment stream can be influential on judges hearing the inevitable challenges to the rule.



*May contain sarcasm

Florida voting right ballot measure: ACHIEVED!

[teaotter]

Updating an earlier post, the petition drive for a ballot measure to restore voting rights to released felons in Florida has enough signatures -- it's going to be on the ballot!

If I understand correctly, it'll need 60% support to pass, so this is just the first step in a longer fight. But we won the first round!