Washington - Today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will announce that the Mineral Management Service will be split to separate its land leasing and safety enforcement functions. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and staunch opponent of expanded coastline drilling, released the following statement:

"An agency responsible for both partnering with oil companies and enforcing safety rules has an obvious conflict of interest. I look forward to seeing the details of this plan and am hoping that the safety agency would be fully independent and effective. The bigger point that we can't lose sight of is that even an improved safety enforcement system will never prevent all oil rig spills. Despite the oil company myth that new technology has made oil rigs virtually failsafe, there have been two massive rig disasters in the past year alone. There is one way and one way only to guarantee no spills: transitioning from an economy that relies on 19th Century fossil fuels to one that creates jobs with 21st Century clean energy. Furthermore, the only way the Jersey Shore will be completely protected from oil rig spills is to reverse plans for drilling along the East Coast. I will oppose any climate or energy legislation that does not include significant protections for New Jersey's coastal communities."

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