Press release - June 19, 2014
There has been a surge in the number of people calling for Energy Minister Simon Bridges to be sacked following his shock move to allow oil and gas drilling in a marine sanctuary which is home to the critically endangered Maui’s dolphin.
The number of individual Kiwis who have signed Greenpeace’s “Sack Simon” petition has climbed to over 23,000 people this week. (1)
More people have now called for Bridges’ sacking than voted for him (21,971 in the safe National seat of Tauranga.)
“This attack on the last 55 remaining Maui’s dolphin follows previous moves by Bridges to act on behalf of the fossil fuel industry at all costs,” says Greenpeace spokesperson Michael Tritt.
In April New Zealand's largest forest park was offered up for possible drilling and mining. Then a few days later Simon Bridges admitted that he didn't even know it existed.
“His reckless agenda is increasingly out of step with New Zealanders’ desire to protect their land, water and native species, and to act on climate change. John Key must sack him now.
“The Government’s cosy relationship with multinational oil companies has blinded them to the economic opportunities of clean energy and technology and now they’re sacrificing our native dolphin to help prop up the fossil fuels industry.”
Ends
Notes
1) http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/take-action/Take-action-online/sack-simon-bridges/ The online figure of 33,000 has been adjusted down after the removal of duplicates and non-NZers.