Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ – Groups gathered today at the Jersey shore to decry the bowing of Congress to Big Oil, opening nation’s coast to offshore oil and gas drilling activities, and condemn President Bush’s message that destroying coasts is not enough. Groups called upon elected officials to stand firm against drilling interests and removing the long-standing ban to protect the nation’s coast from the harmful and polluting effects of offshore drilling.
Last night, the US House of Representatives passed an energy bill (236-189) that allows offshore oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts 100 miles from shore regardless of state’s wishes, and as close as 50 miles if states decide to permit drilling. The bill, the “Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act” or HR 6899, ends over 25 years of protection of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The long-standing moratorium protecting parts of the nation’s coast was set to expire on September 30, 2008. This past July, U.S. President Bush began the repealed the Executive Order, established by his father and extended by President Bill Clinton, that maintained a moratorium to protect the nation’s coast from drilling.
“This vote puts New Jersey and New York, and the nation’s, marine life, tourism industries, and fishing industries in grave danger from pollution and industrialization,” said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action.
“The move to open our ocean to environmentally destructive drilling is grounded in falsehoods and unrealistic expectations that gas prices will fall. Leadership is about telling the hard truths. Conservation and driving less brought gas prices down last month, not giving the ocean away to big oil companies,” said Tim Dillingham, Executive Director of the American Littoral Society. “At the end of the day, the public will be left with a polluted ocean, oiled beaches and still suffer ongoing sticker shock at the pump.”
“We can not drill our way to energy independence when we have 3% of the world’s oil reserves but use 25% of the world’s oil,” said Jeff Tittel, Director NJ Sierra Club. “We need a comprehensive energy program that promotes renewable energy, efficiency, and conservation, that is the only way to meet our future energy needs.”
“Opening our coasts to more drilling won’t significantly increase supply or affect prices. But, it will threaten our beaches and wildlife. We need a bold new plan that addresses our energy crisis and global warming, not the same old agenda by Big Oil,” said Dena Mottola Jaborska, Executive Director of Environment New Jersey.
“Drill? No. Conserve and reuse. Invest in newer technologies that have been proven not to negatively effect the ocean environment. Defend to the end,” said Scott Thompson, Director General, Paddleout.org.
“We oppose what the House did last night. New Jersey’s Congressional delegation must join Governor Corzine in being steadfast in opposing offshore drilling. While the bill contains some positive provisions, overall it works against efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, create jobs, reduce global warming pollution and help consumers,” said David Pringle, Campaign Director for the New Jersey Environmental Federation. “Lifting the historic moratorium on oil and gas exploration and drilling off our coasts puts our water and coastal resources at risk without increasing supplies in the near term or reducing prices for consumers burdened by high gas prices.”
New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has repeatedly opposed offshore oil and gas drilling and urged fellow governors to oppose drilling. On Monday, the Governor sent a letter to Dirk Kempthorne, US Secretary of the Interior, urging officials to oppose offshore drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
New Federal Agency Plan to Drill
Federal agencies are also making the move to plan for drilling off the nation’s coast. Public comments are due tomorrow on a proposed new Five -Year Offshore Oil and Gas Plan (2010-2015) by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) of the U.S. Department of Interior.
“Congress is putting our ocean in the hands of a federal agency with a culture of ethical failure,” said David Byer, Water Policy Attorney, Clean Ocean Action.
Last week, the federal Inspector General, Earl E. Devaney, found that the Interior Department agency that collects oil and gas royalties has been caught-up in a wide-ranging ethics scandal, including allegations of financial self-dealing, accepting gifts from energy companies, cocaine use, and sexual misconduct.
The US Exports Our Oil
According to the government agency the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the oil industry exported a record-breaking half-billion barrels of US-produced petroleum products in 2007 [1]. That equates to nearly 22,000,000,000 (billion) gallons of US oil and petroleum products that went overseas to 55 countries, including China, India, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela [2]. The same agency reports the oil industry is on track to sell more overseas in 2008 -- 680,902,000 barrels if the exportation continues at same rate.
“Right under our noses, the oil industry is shipping billons of gallons of United States-produced oil overseas. Why should we risk our beaches and ocean when Big Oil is sending our oil overseas?” added Zipf. “The real solution is to stop the dependence on oil, implement real energy conservation, and develop renewable energy sources.”
Pollution from Drilling
Oil drilling is a dirty process, discharging millions of gallons of toxic drilling waste-fluids into the sea, and accidents happen. In addition, storms tear offshore facilities apart. Last week, Hurricane Ike destroyed 28 oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes are more frequent; Hurricanes Rita and Katrina seriously damaged 223 rigs, and of that, 113 rigs were destroyed [3]. Nearly 9 million gallons of oil were spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and on the coastal plain [4].
Further, states that choose to drill put neighboring and “downstream” states’ coasts at risk. For New Jersey, the northern flow of the offshore Gulf Stream will bring pollution, spills, and oily insults from southern states, which have already indicated interested in drilling, to our region.
Immediate Citizen Action Urged
The US Senate is expected to discuss proposed energy bills today or in the coming days. Groups at the press conference urged citizens to contact their US Senators and tell them to fight to stop offshore drilling in the ocean. To contact their US Senators, citizens should call the US Capitol Switchboard at 202- 224-3121.
Authors
American Littoral Society, Clean Ocean Action, Environment New Jersey,
Fisherman’s Dock Cooperative, Jersey Coast Anglers Association,
Monmouth County Audubon Society, New Jersey Environmental Federation,
Paddleout.org, Sierra Club – NJ Chapter, Surfrider Foundation
Sources
1 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “U.S. Crude Oil and Petroleum Products Exports in 2007,” http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/hist/mttexus1A.htm (in thousands barrels)
2 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Exports by Destination,” http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_expc_a_EP00_EEX_mbbl_m.htm.
3 US Department of “MMS Updates Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Damage,” http://www.mms.gov/ooc/press/2006/press0501.htm
4 US Department of Homeland Security, US Coast Guard, “Report to Congress: Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Hurricane Impact,” May 8, 2006, http://www.uscg.mil/npfc/docs/PDFs/osltf_report_hurricanes.pdf
