Washington - Today, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), leading voices in the effort to protect the Jersey Shore from coastline drilling, condemned the House of Representative's passage of H.R. 6082, a bill to require oil drilling on the Jersey Shore and up and down our coasts.
"The federal government should not be allowed to endanger New Jersey's economy by allowing oil companies to drill the Jersey Shore or neighboring states' shorelines," said Senator Menendez. "We never want to wake up one morning to find a black sheen of oil coating our beaches, killing our fish, destroying small businesses and costing thousands of jobs."
"Once again, House Republicans have placedthe interestsofBig Oil ahead of America's oceans, marine life andcoastal economies,"stated Lautenberg."We will keep fighting in the Senate to protect New Jersey's coastline andreject any bill that allows oil companies to drill near our state's beaches."
The Department of Interior already announced its 5 year offshore oil and natural gas leasing program for 2012-2017. The Program includes six offshore areas and schedules 15 potential lease sales for the 2012-2017 period - 12 in the Gulf of Mexico and three off the coast of Alaska. This proposed legislation in the House would supplant this plan with one that would mandate oil leases up and down our nation's shores.
Much of New Jersey's $35.5 billion tourism industry comes from the Jersey Shore and the state's multi-billion dollar fishing industry would also be threatened by the specter of a potential oil spill.
Expanded Coastline Drilling Would Be a Threat to New Jersey
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March 12, 2024