Amy Klobuchar - Democrat
U.S. Senator
302 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Vote 'Yes' on H.CON.RES.309 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for a $500 million recovery fund focusing exclusively on travel and tourism to be administered by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility in the wake of the BP oil spill.
Dear Ms. Kolbuchar,
The proposed bill for a $500 million recovery fund from BP to focus on travel and tourism in the gulf region would greatly enhance the lives of families affected my a catastrophe that they had nothing to do with. The gulf economy is heavily reliant on tourism, and many of the jobs that families depend on for survival depend on the tourism that has been dramatically scaled back because of the oil spill. I am not writing to simply capitalize upon the emotional appeal of the situation, but more to encourage the people in positions of power to make change happen and set things right. What has happened can not be undone. But what we do from now one can influence how long it takes for the region to get back to a state of normalcy. This bill will accelerate the recovery of the tourism industry and help many people whose lives have been affected get back to the way things were so that they too can enjoy their lives again instead of wondering what will happen if we lose our jobs?
Opposition to this bill would likely come from BP, as they would bear the cost of this project. I think for them it would be good PR to be associated with the clean up of the mess they created. They have already donated millions to relief funds but it is simply not enough.
I hope you know how strongly I, and many other Americans, feel about taking care of our own. We need to do this now. It is important to protect the livelihood of our citizens. I encourage you to vote "Yes" to H.CON.RES.309. If you would like, I can provide you with additional information. You can contact me at harol034@d.umn.edu.
-Dane H
Fact Sheet
Who is affected?
The U.S. Travel Association said the disaster, triggered by an
explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April, could
cost coastal-tourism interests and those that do business with them as
little as $7.6 billion over 15 months or as much as $22.7 billion over
three years.
Tourism supports 400,000 jobs in the Gulf Coast region, where leisure-and-hospitality employment in counties along the shore accounts for 15 percent of all private-sector jobs, compared with 12 percent for the nation overall.
In the worst-case scenario, Florida's $60-billion-a-year tourism economy would sustain more than three-fourths of the region's financial losses, or $18.6 billion over the three years, according to the Oxford Economics study.
Tourism supports 400,000 jobs in the Gulf Coast region, where leisure-and-hospitality employment in counties along the shore accounts for 15 percent of all private-sector jobs, compared with 12 percent for the nation overall.
In the worst-case scenario, Florida's $60-billion-a-year tourism economy would sustain more than three-fourths of the region's financial losses, or $18.6 billion over the three years, according to the Oxford Economics study.
How can the region be helped?
The U.S. Travel Association as part of a 10-point plan it calls "Roadmap to Recovery," hopes to convince the federal government and BP that spending $500 million now on an oil-response marketing fund could generate $7.5 billion in tourism spending that would help offset the group's projected losses.
The U.S. Travel Association as part of a 10-point plan it calls "Roadmap to Recovery," hopes to convince the federal government and BP that spending $500 million now on an oil-response marketing fund could generate $7.5 billion in tourism spending that would help offset the group's projected losses.
Sources:
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