May 22, 2012 – Clean Ocean Action (COA), a coalition of over 130 organizations, will journey from Cape May, New Jersey to Montauk, New York to bring attention to the need for a clean ocean and educate the public about the New Jersey/New York Clean Ocean Zone Initiative. This 15-day campaign from Aug. 10-24, will take place on land and by sea – with rallies everywhere in between.
The Clean Ocean Zone initiative was created by concerned citizens along the New York and New Jersey coastlines to lock-out harmful pollution and industrial activities off the coast while locking-in permanent protection for future generations. The ultimate goal is for the citizen-drafted federal law to be enacted.
Joined by friends and supporters of the ocean, ocean advocate and paddling enthusiast Margo Pellegrino will travel by outrigger canoe along the shoreline while Clean Ocean Action’s Coastal Policy Attorney Sean Dixon hits the pavement on a road bicycle. Rallies, action-tables, and beach teams will be held along the way in every coastal district and elected leaders will be urged to participate and support the initiative. The tour is scheduled to take place during the peak of the shore’s tourist season providing the coalition the opportunity to reach tens of thousands of people with one message: “ The time is now for the Clean Ocean Zone.”
“The region from Cape May NJ to Montauk, NY is currently known as the ‘New Jersey New York Bight’, and that’s just not good enough,” said Cindy Zipf, COA Executive Director. “Citizens have worked hard for over 25 years to turn our ocean from a national joke to a premier tourism destination and it is now time for us to lock in that success and become the nation’s first Clean Ocean Zone,” she added
The Clean Ocean Zone law would reduce pollution by prohibiting ocean-dumpsites and new wastewater discharge outfalls. Marine ecosystems would be protected by prohibiting industrialization such as strip mining, oil and gas drilling and development, and the construction of non-renewable energy facilities like fossil fuel energy ports. The Clean Ocean Zone would support artificial reefs, beach replenishment, recreational and commercial fishing, responsible development of renewable energy, and all truly clean ocean activities.
Read thefull story at NJToday.net.