Booker, Menendez Announce Legislative Effort to Prohibit Offshore Fossil Fuel Exploration in NJ

MONTCLAIR, NJ — As part of their continued efforts to protect New Jersey’s shoreline, on April 22 U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez were joined by researchers, students, and environmental advocates from across New Jersey at Montclair State University’s Center for Environmental and Life Sciences to announce legislation to prohibit offshore fossil fuel exploration in the Atlantic Ocean, a practice that could have potentially devastating impacts on New Jersey’s coastal economy and threaten endangered species populations.
“New Jersey must stand united against any fossil fuel industry activities that would threaten our shoreline,” said Sen. Booker. “Although we were successful in preventing the near-term threat of offshore drilling in the Atlantic, there is still more work to be done. Seismic testing is not only harmful to our marine ecosystems, but it could deliver a crippling blow to New Jersey’s coastal economy. Instead of pursuing misguided energy policies like this, we should be focused on developing cleaner and more efficient energy sources.”
“Much like our fight on Atlantic drilling, the question of seismic testing is really one of values. I value having clean coastal waters, which are home to diverse and rich ecosystems. I value the small businesses and fishermen who have built and sustained a thriving shore economy against all odds in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. And I value the commitment New Jerseyans have for a clean energy future,” said Sen. Menendez. “Seismic blasting to look for oil is incredibly disruptive to marine life. It can cause large-scale displacement of fish stocks, interfere with feeding and reproductive habits, and is a probable contributing factor to whale strandings. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our environment, and allowing seismic testing in the Atlantic is an abdication of that responsibility.”
“We salute the victory that stopped oil drilling for the near term, but we also know fossil fuels are wrong for our future. Blasting the ocean to look for that wrong energy source and at the same time cause pain, suffering and even death to millions of marine animals is just unthinkable,” said Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action. “It will also harm the clean ocean economies that depend upon the sea. It is a wrongful program and must be stopped. We applaud the sensible leadership efforts made by New Jersey’s US Senators Booker and Menendez to stop the seismic testing, and will do what we can to bring the power of the people to help defend the ocean”
“Seismic exploration produces substantial acoustic disruptions which can negatively impact a host of organisms, specifically marine mammals who use sound for communication, navigation, and feeding and in turn any change in the food web can have lasting implications for the entire ecosystem,” said Dr. Paul Bologna Director of the Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences Program at Montclair State University.
“New Jersey is home to a $40 billion tourism industry that supports over 315,000 jobs or roughly 10% of the state’s workforce,” said Sharon Franz, president of the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association. “We stood to oppose offshore oil rigs because of how impactful they would be to New Jersey’s tourism economy, and seismic exploration is the first step towards drilling. Our industry is too important to put at risk”
The Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act would prohibit oil, gas, and methane hydrate-related seismic activities in the Atlantic Ocean. Studies have shown that noise from seismic airgun testing can significantly reduce catch rates of commercial fish species, and it is estimated that seismic airgun testing currently being proposed in the Atlantic could injure or kill tens of thousands of whales and dolphins.
This announcement comes on the heels of this week’s passage of the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 in the U.S. Senate, which includes an amendment authored by Sen. Booker and cosponsored by Sen. Menendez that stripped out potential funding for seismic testing for methane hydrate in the Atlantic Ocean, including off the New Jersey coast. Methane Hydrate, a form of natural gas, is estimated to have 25 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.
In Jan. Sens. Booker, Menendez, and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) rallied with New Jersey public officials and more than 200 local business owners and residents in Asbury Park to demand the federal government withdraw proposals that would allow oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean. The Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) had included portions of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean as an area identified for oil and gas drilling in its next 5-year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program, but subsequently conceded to Congressional pressure and dropped the Mid-Atlantic from the plan.