WASHINGTON – Following his work in the New Jersey state Legislature to ban offshore oil drilling in state waters and his efforts as a Congressman to prohibit seismic airgun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-2nd) introduced the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act with Rep. Joe Cunningham (SC-1).
According to a release, this bipartisan bill would permanently ban oil and gas leasing off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as offshore oil and gas drilling is a direct threat to the coastal economies that are dependent on healthy ocean ecosystems.
New Jersey’s Second Congressional District, spans from Ocean County to Cape May and the Delaware Bay, has a coastal economy that depends heavily on coastal tourism and fishing.
On a larger scale, the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines harbor a wide range of vulnerable things including wildlife sanctuaries, public lands, mammal populations, military operations, natural resources, tourist destinations, and vibrant maritime economies.
The Department of Interior is expected to include the Atlantic and Pacific coasts in its next 5-year Oil and Gas Leasing Plan which would authorize oil drilling in those coasts.
“Our local economy is dependent on fishing, tourism and wildlife watching – the bottom line is offshore oil and gas drilling isn’t worth the risk,” said Van Drew. “It is time to get rid of the harmful and dangerous practice of offshore drilling once and for all.”
In 2018, then-Sen. Van Drew introduced Senate Bill 258 which was passed into law. It prohibited offshore oil and natural gas exploration, development, and production in state waters.
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