Apologies for any cross-postings.
Hi All,
Please consider signing your organization to the letter below in support of the Senate bills, introduced so far this Congress, to protect our coasts from offshore drilling and seismic airgun blasting. (This letter is similar to the House
letter transmitted earlier this year.) As more bills are added over the 116th
Congress, we will recirculate to all signers, so your organization may have a chance to be removed if any additions are problematic.
The deadline to sign on will be COB Friday, July 26. Please let me know if you have any questions. Organizational sign-on only.
Sign-on here:
Senate OCS Community Letter Google Form
Many thanks.
Sincerely,
Mike
Michael Messmer
| Ocean Advocate (Energy)
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036 USA
D +1.202.467.1957
| M +1.202.286.0667
July XX, 2019
Dear Senator,
On behalf of our millions of members, we are writing to endorse the bills introduced in the U.S. Senate thus far in the 116th Congress that would protect thousands of miles of coastlines, local
communities, national parks and public lands, and marine wildlife from dangerous oil and gas exploration, leasing and drilling activities. We encourage you to stand in opposition to expanded offshore drilling and to cosponsor these bills.
Despite widespread opposition from coastal communities, municipalities, and Members of Congress, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is preparing the 2019-2024 National Outer OCS Oil
and Gas Leasing Program to potentially open previously excluded planning areas in federal waters to oil and gas drilling. It would replace the current 2017-2022 Program that was established after years of public input and study. The new plan could subject
coastal communities to the ecological and economic devastation of seismic testing and oil spills like the 2004 Taylor Energy and 2010 British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon disasters that continue to harm America’s shores.
In addition, BOEM is in the process of preparing Geological and Geophysical (G&G) exploration permits to allow for harmful seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean. Offshore oil and gas
activities include high-intensity seismic surveys that consist of loud blasts of compressed air being shot through the water every 10 seconds, exploratory drilling operations, and increased ship traffic, followed by the construction of drilling platforms,
offshore and onshore pipelines, and other support infrastructure. These activities are harmful to ocean wildlife and coastal communities that rely on healthy ocean ecosystems to support tourism, fishing, and recreation.
The North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered marine mammal species in the world, is of particular concern as its only known calving grounds are located in coastal and offshore waters
from the Carolinas through northern Florida. Experts say seismic airgun blasting for oil and gas exploration may well represent a tipping point for the survival of this critically endangered whale.
To date, more than 360 municipalities across the U.S. have passed resolutions opposing offshore seismic exploration and/or oil and gas drilling. On-the-ground opposition to offshore drilling
and seismic testing is strong and growing. In response to major concerns over the social, economic, and ecological consequences of offshore drilling, members from both political parties of the 116th Congress have introduced legislation to halt the expansion
of drilling.
The consequences of harmful seismic exploration for oil and offshore drilling have no boundaries. Oil spills devastate economies along the entire coast by drastically decreasing revenue from
tourism, recreation, and seafood industries while requiring immense levels of funding to attempt to clean up oil, debris, affected wildlife, and shorelines. Additionally, daily oil rig operations and resource development emissions would serve to exacerbate
deteriorating environmental conditions caused by stressors such as climate change, ocean acidification, biodiversity loss, and coastal erosion.
The following lists current bills in order of introduction:
•“Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act” (S.828) amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit seismic activities related to oil, gas, and methane hydrate in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic,
South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida planning areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. Introduced by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)
•“New England Coastal Protection Act” (S.1296) prohibits the issuance of leases by the Department of the Interior for the exploration, development, or production of offshore oil and gas off the
coasts of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Rhode Island. Introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
•“Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act” (S.1304) amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to place a permanent prohibition on offshore drilling in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic,
South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida planning areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, by prohibiting the issuance of leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in those areas. Introduced by Senator Robert
Menendez (D-NJ)
•“West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2019” (S.1318) amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act by placing a permanent prohibition on drilling off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington,
by prohibiting the issuance of leases for the production of oil or natural gas off those coasts. Introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
•“Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2019” (S.1523) amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act by placing a permanent prohibition on the issuance of new or the extension of leases for the exploration,
development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral on Arctic areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. Introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
We urge you to join the growing congressional opposition to offshore drilling and seismic airgun exploration by cosponsoring the aforementioned bills as well as any future bills opposing offshore
drilling. Doing so sends a strong message to your colleagues and the administration that the health of marine ecosystems and strength of coastal economies far outweigh the reckless plan for our coasts.
Sincerely,