Sign Today: Urge your Representative to protect endangered right whales by opposing H.R. 8704!

Just off the east coast of the United States, endangered whales are fighting for their survival.

There are fewer than 360 of these North Atlantic right whales left. The remaining whales are in danger of being driven to extinction by human activity – and deadly vessel strikes continue to kill off the most vulnerable whales, including mothers and young whale calves.

Now we’re raising the alarm on a new attack: Representative Earl “Buddy” Carter just introduced a law that would stop the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from changing the existing North Atlantic right whale vessel strike reduction rule until December 31, 2030.

That means if this law passes, our leaders won’t be able to strengthen the rule designed to stop these gruesome vessel strikes for at least six years!

End these needless whale deaths: Urge your Representative to oppose H.R. 8704, a law that would hamstring vital right whale protections!

Message

Dear {contact_data~firstName} {contact_data~lastName},

I’m contacting you urge you to oppose H.R. 8704, a new law that would prohibit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from amending, updating, modifying or replacing the existing North Atlantic right whale vessel strike reduction rule until December 31, 2030.

The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale is at dire risk of extinction. Fewer than 360 individuals remain and, of those, fewer than 70 are reproductive females. At the current rate, experts predict the species may become functionally extinct within the next few decades. We cannot lose even one whale per year to human causes if right whales are to begin to recover.

NOAA must be allowed to update the existing rule to stop the ongoing loss of these whales, particularly mothers and newborn calves, to deadly vessel strikes. H.R. 8704 would hamstring NOAA’s ability to protect these vulnerable whales at a time when we need immediate action to prevent North Atlantic right whales from going extinct.

The emphasis on technological solutions by opponents of the rule is deeply misleading – and would not serve as an effective substitute for vessel speed limits in any event. Unfortunately, the technologies and related protocols capable of mitigating vessel strike risk to a level approaching zero – as is required to save the species – do not yet exist, and they almost certainly will not for the foreseeable future, if ever.

Again, I urge you to vote in opposition to H.R. 8704, which would block necessary changes to the existing vessel strike reduction rule and would keep North Atlantic right whales on the path to extinction.

Sincerely,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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