Ted Danson: A Restoration to Common Sense for Our Coasts

I haven't heard news this just in a long time. The Obama administration's announcement to protect the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and both U.S. coasts from offshore drilling as percentage of the next five-year program is a massive win for our oceans and every living thing that relies on them.

What's more, the government said it would reconsider Shell's proposal to practice in the Arctic's Beaufort Sea, a house that the president's commitment to skill and preparedness were not just lip service.

The determination is a blow of the plans President Obama announced in March - before the largest environmental catastrophe in our nation's history began staining the Gulf of Mexico black.

We at Oceana have been against expanded oil leasing since well before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But that disaster proved beyond a tail of a question what we already knew - that offshore oil drilling cannot be done safely, and that accidents inevitably happen. Drilling for oil in the oceans destroys fisheries and livelihoods, and pollutes our beaches, wetlands and waterways. This conclusion is therefore a reasonable response that will protect Florida, the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast from a crisis like the one we watched unfold in the gulf this summer. And it's fitting that the conclusion was made while delegates are convening at the UN climate conference in Cancn as we speak. Scaling back drilling is not just a positive step ahead for the health of America's oceans and coastal economies, but indirectly, for the wellness of our mood and the hereafter of our planet. Coupled with the administration's announcement last week to make a new offshore wind power initiative on the Atlantic Coast, this has been a fine month for America's oceans. It's heartening to see the government finally winning the long thought to protect our marine resources and trim our nation's share to climate change. Bipartisan drilling moratoriums protected our coasts for more than 20 years. So hello, common sense, it's nice to see you again.