Call to Action: Ask Your Representative to Vote NO! On Three Offshore Oil Drilling Bills In Congress

Ask Your Representative to Vote NO! On Three Offshore Oil Drilling Bills In Congress

Clean Ocean Action (COA) is urging the Congressional delegations of New York and New Jersey to oppose three pieces of legislation.  Over the past several weeks, COA has sent letters to the member’s offices, urging the NJ and NY Congressional delegations to stand firm opposition of offshore drilling policies that threaten the ocean and coast.  We’re urging elected officials to vote “no” on the following: 

•                    H.R. 1229:  “Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act,”  (AKA “No Legal Review or Oversight of Big Oil Act”) a piece of legislation that imposes rushed, arbitrary permitting deadlines and would prevent enforcement of key public-interest and environmental laws by putting up roadblocks to judicial review of agency decisions.

•                    H.R. 1230:  “Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act,” (AKA “Mandate Drilling Off Virginia’s Coast, Immediately, No Matter What Act”) a bill that specifically targets several areas, including “Sale 220” (an area within 75 miles of the New Jersey Shore), for immediate drilling approval, with no environmental review or public input, while also mandating the use of out-dated environmental and resource reports generated pre-Deepwater Horizon. 

•                    H.R. 1231:  “Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act,” (AKA “Lease At Least Half Of All Our Oceans and Put All Of The Atlantic On the Table Act”) a bill that uses agency reports generated under the last administration (that have since been proven to be inaccurate and out-of-date estimates of the recoverability of oil and gas in the Atlantic) to open the Atlantic Ocean to oil and gas exploration and production activities.

We need all the help we can get to unify Congress against these bills!  Aside from impacting the Atlantic Ocean, many other parts of the US’s ocean environment will be put at risk – including pristine subtropical waters and remote Arctic seas!  These bills would codify an indiscriminate, expensive, and backward energy policy that threatens our maritime heritage, coastal economy, and way of life. Together, we can protect the economic and environmental asset that we all treasure and prevent offshore oil and gas production from being allowed in Virginia or any part of the Atlantic Ocean.  

Find your Representative here or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask them to Vote NO this Thursday on HR 1230 and to Vote NO next week on HR 1229 and 1231!