The Atlantic Ocean will remain off limits to oil and gas drilling for the next five years, according to several New Jersey Democrats in Congress who applauded the decision by the Obama administration.
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It remains to be seen whether the administration will allow drilling in the Arctic Ocean, where it had proposed lease sales in last year’s plan.
While the governors and some legislators from Virginia, North Carolina, and SC all were in favor of the plan to drill off the coast, which was released last January in a draft plan from BOEM, more than 110 different towns and cities along the coast – including the entire coast of SC – have passed resolutions against offshore drilling or its precursor, seismic testing. It was unclear early Tuesday whether the administration had retained those auctions and all of that acreage.
“As for Delmarva’s environmental advocates, Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper said Tuesday the decision “…protects our coasts and the future generations who inherit the consequences of our decisions”. “If the president is going to meet the targets he agreed to at the climate talks in Paris, he needs to keep fossil fuels in the ground or in this case, under the sea. We can’t afford any more oil spilling into the oceans and carbon pouring into the atmosphere”.
The new measures may not end all oil and gas drilling entirely, but could be a stronger step in the right direction.
Virginia Senator and former governor Tim Kaine reacted to the announcement with puzzlement, saying the military had not previously raised such vociferous objections to offshore drilling near Virginia, which is the site of the world’s largest Navy base in Norfolk. Sanders has promised to block all offshore oil and gas development.
In weighing which waters to lease, the government is required to consider an array of factors, including the interests of oil and gas producers, the goals of affected states, and the proximity of energy markets.
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Trudeau and Obama said Arctic oil exploration “must align with science-based standards between the two nations that ensure appropriate preparation for operating in Arctic conditions, including robust and effective well control and emergency response measures”. The plan also opened up portions of the Arctic to offshore drilling. Critics said they feared drilling along the Southeast coast would lead to a repeat of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, harming the environment and threatening local economies. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
