http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/its-not-easy-being-green http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/its-not-easy-being-green Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:29:44 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/congress-bows-to-big-oil-and-passes-bill-to-drill-destroying-coasts-still-not-enough-for-bush-administration-jersey-shore-and-long-island-beaches-to-get-slicked-with-oil 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 This past July, U.S. President Bush began the repealed the Executive Order, established by his father and extended by President Bill Clinton, that maintained a moratorium to protect the nation’s coast from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. http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/congress-bows-to-big-oil-and-passes-bill-to-drill-destroying-coasts-still-not-enough-for-bush-administration-jersey-shore-and-long-island-beaches-to-get-slicked-with-oil Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:28:04 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/americas-economic-future-must-be-built-on-a-foundation-of-clean-energy “From the big cities of the coasts to the industrial heartland to our rural communities, the slumping economy is taking its toll and Americans are hurting. President-elect Obama defied conventional wisdom and swept the Midwest on the promise of using clean energy to revitalize the economy,” said Dena Mottola Jaborska, Executive Director of Environment New Jersey. “Now voters will be looking to the new president and Congress to deliver energy savings, new green jobs, and environmental benefits by boosting wind and solar power as well putting us on the path for independence from oil.” The Environment New Jersey report makes the case that America has enough renewable potential to power the country several times over, providing the following examples: http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/americas-economic-future-must-be-built-on-a-foundation-of-clean-energy Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:31:04 -0600 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/governor-corzines-energy-plan----a-road-map-to-a-new-energy-future-some-potholes-ahead http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/governor-corzines-energy-plan----a-road-map-to-a-new-energy-future-some-potholes-ahead Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:13:22 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/nj-selects-offshore-wind-project2 PROJECT WILL GROW STATE’S ECONOMY, FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/nj-selects-offshore-wind-project2 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:18:33 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/off-shore-drilling-still-way-off-base-environment-new-jersey-thanks-federal-delegation-support-to-protect-the-shore http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/off-shore-drilling-still-way-off-base-environment-new-jersey-thanks-federal-delegation-support-to-protect-the-shore Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:04:39 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/sen_-mccains-statements-on-off-shore-drilling-panned http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/sen_-mccains-statements-on-off-shore-drilling-panned Fri, 09 May 2008 10:16:49 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/environment-groups-call-on-pseg-chairman-to-announce-clean-up-plans-for-jersey-city-coal-plant-at-global-green-expo-this-weekend http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/environment-groups-call-on-pseg-chairman-to-announce-clean-up-plans-for-jersey-city-coal-plant-at-global-green-expo-this-weekend Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:18:08 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/governor-corzines-energy-plan-graded-a-d-falls-short-on-clean-energy-advocates-more-power-plants-in-new-jersey http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/governor-corzines-energy-plan-graded-a-d-falls-short-on-clean-energy-advocates-more-power-plants-in-new-jersey Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:33:32 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/nj-selects-offshore-wind-project PROJECT WILL GROW STATE’S ECONOMY, http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/nj-selects-offshore-wind-project Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:04:32 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/environment-new-jersey-praises-speaker-pelosi-rep_-pallone-and-holt-for-move-to-extend-clean-energy-tax-credits-urges-senate-to-take-action3 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/environment-new-jersey-praises-speaker-pelosi-rep_-pallone-and-holt-for-move-to-extend-clean-energy-tax-credits-urges-senate-to-take-action3 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:09:13 -0600 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/u_s_-house-passes-a-21st-century-energy-bill Environment New Jersey http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/u_s_-house-passes-a-21st-century-energy-bill Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:16:39 -0600 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/governor-corzines-off-shore-wind-energy-plan-strongest-in-nation Atlantic City—Environment New Jersey praised Governor Corzine and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Jeanne Fox for establishing the most visionary program to promote off-shore wind energy in the nation. The plan was announced earlier today on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/governor-corzines-off-shore-wind-energy-plan-strongest-in-nation Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:17:36 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/govenor-corzine-addresses-new-jerseys-economy-and-environment Statement of Dena Mottola Jaborska, Executive Director, on Governor Corzine’s Economic Plan http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/govenor-corzine-addresses-new-jerseys-economy-and-environment Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:31:26 -0500 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/environment-new-jersey-praises-speaker-pelosi-rep_-pallone-and-holt-for-move-to-extend-clean-energy-tax-credits-urges-senate-to-take-action http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/environment-new-jersey-praises-speaker-pelosi-rep_-pallone-and-holt-for-move-to-extend-clean-energy-tax-credits-urges-senate-to-take-action Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:06:02 -0600 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/environment-new-jersey-praises-speaker-pelosi-rep_-pallone-and-holt-for-move-to-extend-clean-energy-tax-credits-urges-senate-to-take-action2 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/environment-new-jersey-praises-speaker-pelosi-rep_-pallone-and-holt-for-move-to-extend-clean-energy-tax-credits-urges-senate-to-take-action2 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:06:46 -0600 http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/untitled http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/newsroom/energy/energy-program-news/untitled Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:29:42 -0500