1. Restoring the Gulf Coast
For my project, I was assigned the Coastal South, a region that consists of the land
along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from southeastern Virginia to the Mexican border. I
chose to concentrate on the state of Louisiana when trying to find an organization to work
with. Louisiana has suffered plenty of damage over the past couple of years, including
Hurricane Katrina and most recently, an oil spill right off of the coast.
Last April, the Deepwater Horizon (a semi-submersible drilling rig) exploded
southeast of the coast of Louisiana. The oil gushed from the tower at the rate of 210,000
gallons per day, which is equal to 1 Olympic size swimming pool every 3 days. This oil
spill has a detrimental effect on the environment. It affects wildlife including turtles,
mammals, fish, and birds. In order to avoid any more damage and begin to truly restore
the Gulf, Congress needs to pass the Restore Act. Under the Clean Water Act, BP and all
other responsible parties will be required to pay fines for the damage they have caused to
the environment. The amount of money is based on the number of barrels spilled and
could reach upwards of $21 billion. The problem is that the law does not specify that the
fine dollars will be used to repair environmental damage caused by the disaster. It is vital
that Congress passes legislation as soon as possible. That is why support for the Restore
Act is crucial from all states.
I contacted Dustin Renaud, a member of the Audubon Society in Baton Rouge
about working with them, and he asked me to help in their efforts to advocate for the
funding that is needed to help restore the Gulf after last years oil spill. To do this, I took
on the task of spreading information about the disaster and seeking out support from
those on campus who would like to help. I was able to get 42 postcards, as well as some

2. online submissions, sent to our senator Frank Lautenberg. He is the senior senator of New
Jersey, so his vote will have the most impact. I also sent out a personal email to our
Senator, discussing the Act and why I believe he should support it. In addition, I
documented my project and other information regarding Louisiana and the Restore Act
on my blog: http://yourcoastismycoast.blogspot.com/. The blog has averaged about 70
page views, which I hope has spread some awareness or sparked interest in others to help.
I hope that even the small amount of advocating that I did will make an impact on his
vote and ultimately the passing of the Restore Act.
Thank you to those who wrote personal post cards:
Jane Chang (Cherry Hill, NJ), Juliana D’Onofrio (Brick, NJ), Katherine Martin (Madison, NJ), Lauren
McElroy (Brick, NJ), Michael Dinello (Mount Laurel, NJ), Victoria Parr (Turnersville, NJ), Alyssa Hall
(Bay Head, NJ), Tom Manzo (Saddle Brook, NJ), Dena Mahoney (Williamstown NJ), Dana Lefkowitz
(Parlin, NJ), Chelsea VanderPyl (Sicklerville, NJ), Julianne Hall (Freehold, NJ), Rebecca McCann (N.
Cape May, NJ), Dana Johnson (Glassboro, NJ), Sarah Clark (Edison, NJ), Corinne McDonald (Glassboro,
NJ), Jordan Boyle (Brick, NJ), Heather Williams (Glassboro, NJ), Carrie Spadoro (Park Ridge, NJ), Gerry
Janansky (Glassboro, NJ), Sarah Mooney (Forked River, NJ), Francisco Alberro (Freehold, NJ), Carly
Rothenberg (Cherry Hill, NJ), Gina Pelosi (Glassboro, NJ), Krista Edgar (Palisades Park, NJ), Edward
Larkin (Westompton, NJ), Chris Diesle (Mt. Holly, NJ), Gianna Canal (Wenonan, NJ), Daniel Abel
(Glassboro, NJ), Paul Rizzitello (Brick, NJ), Matthew Fleming (Hamilton, NJ), Nick Crowning (Point
Pleasant, NJ), Kayla Stahl (Toms River, NJ), Cynthia Sternotti (Chatsworth, NJ), Jaimie Stone
(Runnemede, NJ), Nigel Fung-A-Fat (Scotch Plains, NJ), Kristi Twardziack (Somerdale, NJ), Taylor
Sternotti (Chatsworth, NJ), Christina Spadoro (Park Ridge, NJ), Jonathan Carbonaro (Toms River, NJ),
Gerald Andorko (Delran, NJ), and Mike Mahoney (Oceanport, NJ)
Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/oilnumbers.html
Audubon Fact Sheet (sent to me from Louisiana)