Letter from Coastal Mayors to Protect Our Coasts

Environment America

Dear President Trump,

CC: Members of Congress

We are writing to you today because as citizens and as local elected officials, we love our oceans and our coasts. From whale watching to walks on the beach; seafood dinners to sailing expeditions, the ocean is a huge part of what makes our communities great.

The Atlantic is appreciated by residents and visitors alike.  It is a vibrant ecosystem that is vital to many endangered and vulnerable species, including whales, dolphins, sea turtles and deep-sea coral. It is essential to our global food system, and central to the culture of our communities.  The ocean provides incredible recreational experiences and critical economic opportunities.

We need to keep the Atlantic and all our oceans clean; the whales, sea turtles, fish, corals and other species that inhabit them healthy; and the communities that depend on them vibrant.

Protecting our oceans and coasts means staving off current and future threats like: ocean acidification and habitat loss, offshore drilling and seismic testing, pollution and underfunding of the agencies and institutions that are designed to ensure the health of our oceans.

As representatives of the coastal communities we are doing our part to protect our oceans, but we cannot do it alone. This is why we are calling on you to stand up for our oceans and coasts by:

  • preventing offshore-drilling and seismic testing off our coasts;
  • protecting our ocean habitats from harm; and
  • fully-funding NOAA and other agencies that work to manage and protect our ocean resources.

Together, we can keep our ocean clean and safe for the creatures that call it home, for our communities to flourish, and for our families and future generations to enjoy.

Sincerely,

Rose Santana, Alder, New Haven, CT | Adam J Marchand, Alder, New Haven, CT | Kenneth Reveiz, Alder Ward 14, New Haven, CT | Harry W. Rilling, Mayor, City of Norwalk, CT | Fred Neil, Council Member, Dover, DE | Joey Ayoub, Mayor, Safety Harbor, FL | Lauren Poe, Mayor, Gainesville, FL | Maggi Black, Mayor, Madeira Beach, FL | Greg Oravec, Mayor, City of Port St. Lucie, FL | Shannon Martin, Vice Mayor, City of Port St. Lucie, FL | Stephanie Morgan, Councilwoman, City of Port St. Lucie, FL | Jolien Caraballo, Councilwoman, City of Port St. Lucie, FL | John Carvelli, Councilman, City of Port St. Lucie, FL | Steven Grant, Mayor, Boynton Beach, FL | Rick Kriseman, Mayor, St. Petersburg, FL | Dan Gelber, Mayor, Miami Beach, FL | Michael C. Brown, Mayor, Town of Hypoluxo, FL | Arline H. Chapman, Mayor, City of Porterdale, GA | Tim Toomey, City Councilor, Cambridge, MA | Luis Tejada, City Councilor, Chelsea, MA | Jan Devereux, City Councilor, Cambridge, MA | Thomas Kehoe, Selectman, Manchester-by-the-sea, MA | Craig Kelley, City Councilor, Cambridge, MA | Roy Avellaneda, City Councilor, Chelsea, MA | Damali Vidot, City Councilor, Chelsea, MA | Ryan O’Malley, City Councilor, Malden, MA | Katjana Ballantyne, Alder, Somerville, MA | Debbie DeMaria, City Councilor, Malden, MA | Michelle Wu, City Council President, Boston, MA | Mark Niedergang, Alder, Somerville, MA | Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Councilor, Medford, MA | George A. Scarpelli, Concilor, Medford, MA | Tony Lafuente, Alder, Somerville, MA | William A. White Jr., Council President, Somerville, MA | John M. Connolly, Alder, Somerville, MA | Dennis M. Sullivan, Alder, Somerville, MA | Mary Jo Rossetti, Alder, Somerville, MA | Matthew McLaughlin, Alder, Somerville, MA | Maryann M. Heuston, Alder, Somerville, MA | Robert J. McWatters, Alder, Somerville, MA | Lance Davis, Alder, Somerville, MA, Michael A. Blanton, Selectman, Bourne, MA | Maureen Burgess, Vice Chair of Board of Selectmen, Truro, MA | Dawn E. Hill Holdgate, Chair of Board of Selectman, Nantucket, MA | Edward C. Cameron, Jr., City Councilor, Newburyport, MA | Jared J. Eigerman, City Councilor, Newburyport, MA | Robert Weinstein, Selectman, Truro, MA | George G. Slade, Jr., Chair of Board of Selectman, Bourne, MA | Andrea Cambell, City Councilor, Boston, MA | Judith Garcia, City Councilor, Chelsea, MA | Deborah Burgoyne, Mayor, Burkittsville, MD | Bill Henry, Councilman, 4th District City Council , Baltimore, MD | Brian Jones, Mayor, Rock Hall, MD | Sharon Middleton, Council Vice President, Baltimore, MD | Zeke Cohen, 1st District Baltimore City Council Member, Balitmore, MD | Joe Dominick, Mayor, City of Westminster, MD | Esther Lang Troast, Acting Mayor, Councilwoman, 1st Vice President , Pocomoke City, MD | Habeeb-Ullah Muhammad, Mayor, Forest Heights, MD | Ethan Strimling, Mayor, Portland, ME | Ed Glaser, City Councilor, Rockland, ME | Amelia Magjik, City Councilor, Rockland, ME | , Eric Horne, City Councilor, Freeport, ME | Geoffrey Gratwick, State Senator, District 9, Bangor, ME | Samantha Paradis, Mayor, Belfast, Belfast, ME | Alan M. Casavant, Mayor, Biddeford, ME | Richard l Stanley, Mayor, Town of Beaufort, NC | Cin Brochure, Mayor, Oak Island, NC | Brian Roth, Mayor, Plymouth, NC | David Bownes, City Councilor, Laconia, NH | Anne L. Surman, Vice Chairman, Exeter, NH | Nancy Pearson, City Council Member, Portsmouth, NH | Josh Denton, City Councilor, Portsmouth, NH | Don Guardian, Mayor, City of Atlantic City, NJ | John G. Ducey, Mayor, Brick Township, NJ | John Spodofora, Mayor, Stafford Township, NJ | Casim L. Gomez, Councilman, East Orange, NJ | Debbie Meehan, Councilwoman, Woodbridge, NJ | Richard Palombo, Mayor, Strathmere (Upper Township), NJ | Martin L. Pagliughi, Mayor, Borough of Avalon, NJ | Marge Caldwell-Wilson, North Ward Councilwoman, Trenton, NJ | Noam Bramson, Mayor, New Rochelle, NY | Micheal Levine, Mayor, Village of Old Field, NY | Jeremy Rix, Councilman, Warwick, RI | Timothy E. Sweeney, Vice Chairman, Bristol, RI | Megan E Kallman, District Councilor, Pawtucket, RI | Kenneth C Lacoste, City Councilor, New Shoreham, RI | Sheldon A. Butts, City Councilor, Georgetown, SC | Tim Goodwin, Mayor, Folly Beach, SC | Tim Courtney, Councilor, Surfside Beach, SC | Nikki Fontana, Councilwoman, North Myrtle Beach, SC | William D. Sessoms, Jr., Mayor, City of Virginia Beach, VA

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