NEWARK – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, sent a bipartisan letter signed by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and New Jersey Governor-elect Phil Murphy urging U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to immediately withdraw consideration of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Jersey from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
Last week, Secretary Zinke announced that Florida’s offshore waters would be removed from consideration under a new proposed program expanding offshore oil and gas drilling in nearly all federal waters, citing Florida’s heavy reliance on tourism as an economic driver – similar to New Jersey.
“We write to demonstrate that when it comes to protecting New Jersey’s coast, New Jersey speaks with one voice, united in opposition to allowing drilling off our shores,” the officials wrote. “It is for these reasons that we urge you to immediately withdraw consideration of the Atlantic from the Five-Year Program, and echo the calls from our colleagues in New Jersey and across the country for you to visit coastal communities for a first-hand account of how devastating the impacts of expanded offshore drilling would be to coastal states’ economies.”
Each year New Jersey’s coastal economy generates millions of dollars in revenue, with the tourism industry accounting for one out of 10 jobs in the state’s workforce. New Jersey’s boating, commercial, and recreational fishing industries are critical components of the state’s economy, and already received a devastating blow as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
“Earlier this week, you determined that because Florida’s coasts rely heavily on tourism as an economic driver, Florida’s offshore waters would be removed from consideration under the new proposed program,” the officials wrote to Secretary Zinke. “We agree with your assessment that drilling for oil and gas offshore could negatively impact a coastal state’s tourism industry, and New Jersey is no exception to that rule.”
A signed PDF of the letter can be found here.
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