National Ocean Policy 5 Years Later

In July of 2010, the Obama Administration ordered the creation of a National Ocean Council to oversee the implementation of his National Ocean Policy (NOP) to connect the decision making processes of state and federal agencies in a collaborative and streamlined process, while creating an opportunity for citizen, private industry, and eNGO advisory input.

Clean Ocean Action has tried to ensure that NOP offered a true participatory process for the communities whose livelihoods depend upon a clean ocean and bear the brunt of the many uses of our ocean and coastal area. Since the inception of NOP, COA has remained outspoken in support of the citizens who live in these areas, and for the health and wellbeing of the ocean itself.

So what has been accomplished on the 5 year anniversary of the NOP? Our blog has a more in depth analysis, however, the short answer is this: even as cooperation and collaboration between agencies has improved, and the body of science and research for which to make decisions has grown, the participatory process we advocated for so stridently is deficient to say the least. The actions of the Obama Administration speak louder than any policy could. The waters of the mid-Atlantic have been opened to oil and gas exploration, the Arctic has been opened to oil drilling, and offshore LNG terminals threaten our coastlines. There is a continued push for development in the most fragile and vulnerable portions of our coastal areas, and the ocean ecosystem we take for granted is showing multiple signs of collapse. COA will continue to engage the policymakers and bureaucracy it encounters throughout the NOP process, and advocate loudly on behalf of the oceans’ health, first and foremost.

Seismic Triple Threat to Atlantic Ocean

Amid great public outcry about the Rutgers ocean blasting study off Barnegat Light, NJ, two larger-scale seismic projects have recently been announced that together span the entire Eastern Seaboard.  This triple-threat of ocean blasting includes a United States Geological Survey (USGS) seismic study of the continental shelf for sovereignty and tsunami hazard investigations and the Obama Administration’s approval of seismic testing in the mid- and south-Atlantic for the purposes of locating potential oil and gas deposits.

Photo by Ryan Morrill

Although Rutgers University was given the final approval on July 2 to conduct their 30-day seismic survey, it is unclear if the researchers have been able to conduct any ocean blasting since that time.  First, the State of New Jersey went to the District Court and then to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to request a temporary halt to the study, which they were ultimately denied.  Also, the ship to be used in the testing has twice experienced equipment failures and returned to port; the vessel was still moored in Brooklyn as of July 29.  Rutgers’ time with the ship is running out, as their federal approvals expire on August 17 and the USGS has reserved the same vessel from mid-August to mid-September for the first leg of their two-part seismic survey of the Atlantic continental shelf.  The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued conditional approval for the USGS to harass 19,497 marine mammals with their study.  COA submitted extensive comments to NMFS, which urged further environmental review of the project’s impacts to marine life and greater consideration of alternatives and stronger mitigation measures.  On July 18, the Obama Administration issued its final authorization for seismic surveys in the mid- and south-Atlantic Ocean associated with oil and gas exploration.  The Atlantic coast has been under a drilling moratorium for decades, and this decision brings oil and gas companies one step closer to offshore drilling by allowing them to start looking for fossil fuels off our shores.

Visit StopRutgersOceanBlasting.org to sign the petition against ocean blasting approved to take place now off Barnegat Light.

Obama Administration’s Final Decision Declares Open Season on the Atlantic by Big Oil

Obama Administration’s Final Decision Declares Open Season on the Atlantic by Big Oil

Coalition Responds to Administration’s Hypocritical Ocean Policy--- Adds Insult to Injury off Jersey Shore

Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced its issuance of the Record of Decision for environmental review of geological and geophysical survey activities associated with oil and gas exploration off the Atlantic coast, which has been under a drilling moratorium for decades. 

Upon hearing of this development, Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action, stated, “The Obama Administration has officially declared open season on the Atlantic for Big Oil to exploit and threaten our coasts.  This is clearly hypocritical; President Obama just declared June as ‘National Oceans Month,’ calling upon us to be good ocean stewards.  Which side the of the ocean is he on?”  

The Record of Decision brings energy companies one step closer to beginning exploration of the mid- and south-Atlantic, from Delaware Bay to Florida, for oil and gas reserves.  Zipf pointed to the strong opposition that citizens and elected officials in many coastal states have shown over the years to offshore oil and gas development.

“Atlantic coastal states have thrived for decades on clean ocean economies such as tourism and commercial and recreational fishing.  The New Jersey coastal delegation in particular has stood firm in its resistance to offshore fossil fuel development due to the huge risks that oil spills pose to the marine environment.  One spill could wipe out our entire coastal economy.”

Under the President’s proposed plan, energy companies will be permitted to conduct harmful seismic testing offshore to locate potential oil and gas deposits.  Seismic testing involves the use of arrays of airguns towed behind a vessel that shoot extremely loud, pressurized blasts of air into the water column.  Research on impacts to marine life from seismic testing have shown responses that range from harassment to death. 

“Allowing seismic testing in the Atlantic Ocean is essentially opening the floodgates to oil and gas development.  Before an oil well is even drilled, seismic testing could displace fisheries, deafen whales and dolphins, and interrupt vital marine animal behaviors, such as feeding, migration, communication, and breeding,” said Cassandra Ornell, Clean Ocean Action Staff Scientist.  “BOEM claims that the approved plan establishes ‘safeguards to reduce or eliminate impacts to marine life.’  The only way to ensure that is to not do seismic testing at all,” added Ornell.

This announcement comes on the heels of the Federal government’s approval of another seismic testing study in the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey.  “New Jersey’s marine ecosystem is already going to be subject to seismic blasting this summer by Rutgers University for scientific research purposes.  BOEM is adding insult to injury with today’s approval of additional seismic blasting for oil and gas development,” stated Zipf.

ACTION ALERT: 100,000 VOICES NEEDED TO SAVE THE WHALES

Sign the Petition telling the White House to reject seismic airgun

surveys for oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean! 

http://goo.gl/8yvqa 

  

Photo Credit: NOAA

Friends of Marine Life: Immediate Action is needed to keep the ocean wild and industry free! The federal government is considering allowing "seismic surveys" in the Atlantic Ocean - airgun blasts designed to pinpoint offshore oil and gas deposits deep in the seafloor.  From death to deafness, these shockwaves threaten fish and fisheries, whales and dolphins, and the entire marine ecosystem.

  

Ted Danson, ocean advocate and actor, recently said it best in a blog post calling for a nation-wide voice in opposition to this proposal:

"In the ocean you find a symphony of sound, from the clicking of snapping shrimp to the long mournful wails of whales, and zips of dolphins. Now imagine this oceanic soundscape shattered by dynamite-like blasts, every 10 seconds for days and even weeks on end. Blasts so loud they can literally deafen marine mammals that need to listen to live, possibly injuring or killing these animals by the tens of thousands. This grisly scenario may soon become a reality in an area of the Atlantic Ocean twice the size of California, where the Department of the Interior is currently reviewing a proposal to test the seafloor with seismic airguns, all in the speculative pursuit of more offshore oil and gas."

Recently, a cohort of Congressmen and Senators urged President Obama to reject these surveys and protect the Atlantic Ocean from oil and gas activities. Read more here.

Please Act Now Take These Two Steps: 

Step One: Sound the alarm! Share this with your family, neighbors, and communities; every voice counts.  Ramp up the volume for the ocean! See how many signatures you can get. Send to 10, 20, 30, or more of your friends.  

Step Two: Join One Hundred Thousand of your fellow ocean heroes by signing this petition, urging the President to protect the mammals, fish, ecologies, and economies of the Atlantic Ocean:  http://goo.gl/8yvqa

Natural Gas Exports and Energy Independence? Why are we sending out energy future overseas!?

Yesterday, Cambridge Energy’s Request for Withdrawal of its application to export LNG was finalized by the DOE. 

This LNG Export authorization application withdrawal is notable for two reasons:

1. This is the first LNG export withdrawal in this new era of LNG market shifts, and
2. Cambridge Energy claims they are withdrawing because the Deepwater Port Act doesn’t allow exports from offshore LNG ports….yet.

On the question of LNG exports from offshore ports, the Department of Transportation recently requested that Congress make such exports legal. (See April 16 letter to Congress re: MARAD Enhancement).  According to the letter, the US Coast Guard and the DOE agree that deepwater ports should be allowed to be built for exports from the OCS.  In the rationale section of the letter, signed by Sec. LaHood, the DOT specifically points out that:

“Expanding MARAD’s authority to licenses for LNG terminals used for export would 

provide a safe and secure method for the export of emerging natural gas 

markets and would benefit U.S. energy companies.” (see page 5).

It is discouraging that the DOT, DOE, and Coast Guard would be so enthusiastic about finding new ways to create “benefit” for energy companies that they would propose legislation that would have long-term impacts on the OCS, coastal ecosystems, and, according to the EIA report on LNG exports, likely lead to more fracking, more coal use at US power plants, and increased energy costs for US consumers and industries.

Oh, and then there’s energy independence…

Finally, one thing incredibly vital to note is that, contrary to some claims in the media and on the Hill (that the DOE hasn’t allowed exports yet), there are already over 15 Billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d, or about 5.7 Trillion cubic feet per year (Tcf/year)) approved exports (click link for specifics from DOE as of Sept 21, 2012).  There are another 12 Bcf/d pending approval – for a total of 27.42 Bcf/d (or 10 Tcf/year).  The export authorizations that the DOE hasn’t yet made are for exports to non-FTA nations. 

The approved and pending-approved authorizations (which under the law must be granted without modification or delay), if exported at capacity every day, means the DOE has authorized up to 43% of our annual domestic natural gas Dry Production to be sent overseas (based on 2011 annual US dry production of 23 Tcf) each year. 

So much for energy independence... 

Three New* Threats to Our Ocean

Recently, three new programmatic changes at the federal level are threatening our clean ocean economy and clean ocean zone.

1. EPA To Cut Clean Beach Programs

First, in a shocking turn of events, the EPA announced that, in President Obama’s 2013 EPA budget, they will no longer be implementing the “Beaches Program” or issuing Beaches Program grants to states.

The Beaches Program, under the Clean Water Act and the “BEACH Act” is a program at the EPA for protecting the health of swimmers and beachgoers from sewage and pollution risks.

Each year, in furtherance of these goals, the EPA works on:

• promoting recreational water quality programs nationwide,
• creating scientific improvements that support timely recreational water monitoring and reporting,
• issuing grants (~$10 million in 2012) to eligible coastal states to develop and implement beach monitoring and notification programs,
• publishing an annual Beach Notification Summary, giving information on beach water quality monitoring, beach advisories and closings, pollution sources, and state and local beach program contacts to the public, and
• developing new or revised recreational water criteria for the most up-to-date protection of public health.

Unfortunately, the President’s EPA budget proposes ending this program:

“To help meet the fiscal challenges of FY 2013, the EPA has reviewed its programs for areas where any potential efficiencies and streamlining can yield savings and is eliminating the Beach Program.”

The report continues:

“While beach monitoring continues to be important to protect human health and especially sensitive individuals, … [n]o additional funding will be provided for the following: (1) implementing monitoring and notification programs consistent with the EPA’s National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants and (2) submitting monitoring and advisory data to the EPA so that the Agency can provide this information to the public in a timely and easily accessible manner.”

The EPA says that the Beach Program has accomplished it’s mission, yet without the program, many states will have no resources for any swimmer-safety tests, states will be free to adopt lax standards (or end testing altogether because they are no longer held to a federal regulatory “floor”), and, by and large, the public health will be put at risk.

Please call your elected officials and ask them to stand up for swimmer safety by re-authorizing this program to give states the science and tools they need!

2. Renewed Atlantic Ocean Oil Drilling Push in the House – H.R. 7

Second, the House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill which opens up the Atlantic Ocean to oil drilling – as soon as this year!  The bill, a floor-modified version of HR 3408, requires that a large portion of the ocean off of the coast of Virginia be opened for drilling almost immediately, and that the rest of the Atlantic Ocean be considered open for business as well.

When this bill was being debated in Committee (before hitting the House floor), New Jersey Representatives Pallone, Holt, and Runyan all voted against the bill (roll call votes). 

Once the bill hit the House floor, one amendment was proposed that would ban drilling in any ocean areas that would “affect” New York or New Jersey  - essentially banning drilling in Virginia and points south in the Atlantic.  In the vote on the amendment, 5 of New Jersey’s 6 Republican Representatives voted to pass it (Mr. Garrett was the lone NJ Congressman voting against this ocean-protection amendment), standing with the united Democratic NJ Delegation in defense of the shore.   

For 50 years, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have fought to keep the Atlantic Ocean off-limits from oil drilling. With yesterday’s vote, it is clear that this long-standing support is eroding, but in New Jersey, our elected officials know that a clean ocean economy is a non-partisan issue – it is too essential to the people, communities, and businesses of the Shore. 

We thank the 8 NJ and 19 NY Representatives who voted against this bill (see Floor Vote, Roll #71), but urge you to call your elected officials (Senators, Congressmen, State Officials) and ask them to take every step they can to see that the opening of the Atlantic Ocean to oil drilling doesn’t happen. 

3. Proposed Closure of the NOAA Fisheries Service James  J. Howard  Marine Sciences Laboratory on Sandy Hook

Third, President Obama announced in the budget proposal for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that the James J. Howard Fisheries Lab on Sandy Hook will be closed – one year after its 50th anniversary celebration. 

The decision to close this lab could not have been made at a more inopportune time.  Our oceans, and the Mid-Atlantic Ocean this lab directly adjoins, are changing.  For the first time in decades, there may be oil drilling in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean, most notably in Virginia.  Your Department of Interior recently announced lease availability for over 800 square miles of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean.  The shores of this region are the most densely populated in the nation.  The fisheries, tourism, and recreation value of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean is nearly incalculable.  Algal blooms, sewage spills, sedimentation, and the science of managing the Port of New York all fall within the scientific ambit of this region. 

The research undertaken at the Howard Lab on these issues, and on ocean acidification and climate change impacts to marine ecosystems, are the foundation upon which informed decisionmaking is built. Indeed, this lab was recently recognized by NOAA leadership as the premier state-of-the-art facility for conducting ocean acidification research on the East Coast.  Moreover, research conducted at the lab is instrumental in ongoing planning efforts for the siting of the first offshore wind facilities in the United States – a priority for your Administration.

Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, with Congressman Pallone pledged to prevent the closing of the Lab in a letter sent directly to the President. 

Sign the E-Petition to Save the Sandy Hook Lab

###

To find out how you can help on any of these issues, contact the Clean Ocean Action office at 732-872-0111 and ask for Zach, or email citizens@cleanoceanaction.org.

Obama Releases Draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan

Today, President Obama released his Draft Implementation Plan for advancing a National Ocean Policy in U.S. ocean and coastal waters and the Great Lakes.  The 92-page document outlines 50 actions to collaborate, coordinate and consolidate agency actions to improve the ocean.

Find out more about the Plan HERE.  Contact Clean Ocean Action Citizen Action Coordinator Zach McCue HERE for more information and to find out how you can help.

On the Plan, this Statement from Clean Ocean Action was recently released to the media:

“On the positive side, the Draft Plan clearly lists actions to be taken, identifies the agencies responsible for those actions, and suggests timelines within which those actions should occur.  This level of detail allows the public to hold the Administration responsible for carrying out these plans and coming through on its promises.” 

“The Draft Plan, however, does not answer the questions ‘Will I be able to safely swim at my beach in 5 years?’ or ‘Will there be new oil rigs or industrial complexes built off my beach in the future?’ These are the real questions citizens want answered.”

“The Draft Plan, with its ambitious targets and lofty goals, underscores the need for citizens to get involved in every step of the National Ocean Policy implementation – without independent, local, and robust oversight, this plan could result in a series of reports collecting dust on a bookshelf in D.C.”

“Clean Ocean Action has participated in every step of the development of this Implementation Plan to ensure that it follows through on its commitment to citizen and community involvement,” said Executive Director Cindy Zipf.  “COA is confident that with robust citizen action, this plan can help end ocean pollution and ensure resilient coastal ecosystems.  This plan invites federal agencies to tackle issues that have long plagued the NY/NJ coastlines (like marine debris and plastic pollution) and to back up their initiatives with environmental and education programs.”

Ensuring the health and resiliency of our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes is crucial to the health of our nation’s economy. Our oceans and coasts support tens of millions of jobs and are a vital part of the U.S. economy.

• Shore-adjacent counties are home to 108.3 million people, 48.6 million jobs, and contributed $5.7 trillion to the U.S. economy. With only 18% of U.S. land area, these counties accounted for 36% of population and 42% of the national economic output in 2007 [i]
• In 2008, recreational fishing supported 384,000 jobs and had a support base of 12.4 million anglers, spending $4.9 billion annually, and the commercial seafood industry supported 1.5 million jobs and generated $104 billion in sales impacts [ii]

“The citizens, businesses, and communities along the NY/NJ coasts have been working for decades to ensure that all ocean uses support one another - producing initiatives like the NY/NJ Clean Ocean Zone plan and state-based coast-wide economic forums,” noted Sean Dixon, Coastal Policy Attorney for Clean Ocean Action.  “We look forward to bringing these initiatives, and the citizen who worked on them, to the National Ocean Council – we’ve done the work, now we need our plans implemented.”

Sources:
[i] National Ocean Economics Program. (2009). State of the Ocean and Coastal Economies, p.6, http://www.oceaneconomics.org/NationalReport/.

[ii] National Marine Fisheries Service. (2010). Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2008. U.S. Dept. Commerce, NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-F/SPO-109, p.7, http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st5/publications/index.html.

Victory for the Atlantic Ocean! (Part 2: the Catch)

In our last post (which we're still giddy about), we told you of the recent decision by the Obama Administration to NOT Drill for oil off the Atlantic Coast (which he had planned on doing)...

(http://cleanoceanaction.blogspot.com/2011/11/victory-for-atlantic-ocean.html)

Great news, right?   Yes.  But there's a catch; several actually.

First, the President announced expansions to oil drilling operations in the Gulf and in the Arctic Ocean.  According to the Department of Interior:  “the Proposed Program includes lease sales in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas,” areas of ocean that many environmental groups in the region warn are poor choices for energy development – there are no nearby marine ports (e.g., there are no oil-spill response or Coast Guard boats), and seasonal and weather conditions exacerbate risks of catastrophe. 

Second, the President issued the following statement:

“There remain complex issues relating to potentially conflicting uses, including those of the Department of Defense. As the oil and gas resource potential in the Mid- and South Atlantic planning areas is not well understood, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is moving forward to expeditiously to facilitate resource evaluation in these areas, including conducting a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement relating to seismic surveys in the Atlantic.”

The federal government, therefore, plans on seismically surveying the Atlantic Ocean – sending pulses of sound waves at high decibels over thousands of miles of ocean habitat – in search of the most readily-available oil resources.  These activities are tied to significant impacts on marine life, affecting everything from migration patterns of whales to the feeding behavior of fish.  To top it all off, these surveys are publicly-funded expeditions that pinpoint resources that, perhaps in 2017, will be given to private companies to develop and sell for profit!

COA Staff Scientist, Dr. Heather Saffert, has been studying the impacts of seismic surveys on marine life and the coastal ecosystem and will be developing robust comments and reviews on the issue.

Clean Ocean Action has been working to keep the Atlantic Ocean seismic-survey-free for years, and will continue to do so.  The “Draft” impact assessment of these surveys is expected out in the spring.

Third, and finally, while the President has decided to not drill for oil in the Atlantic, Congress can still overrule this decision.  In fact, the House of Representatives has already passed a bill that would do just that.

(a series of bills we talked about here: http://cleanoceanaction.blogspot.com/2011/04/offshore-oil-takes-center-stage-in-bad.html)

This week, the House has two Congressional hearings on these issues, and a few more are expected.  Stay tuned to COA for more information...

Victory for the Atlantic Ocean!

Obama Reverses Course on Offshore Oil Drilling!

This afternoon President Obama issued a 5-year offshore oil drilling plan for 2012-2017, in which he doesn’t allow any Atlantic Ocean oil and gas drilling! 

To review, in the final years of the Bush Presidency, and in the initial stages of Obama’s tenure, the Atlantic Ocean was put on the table for offshore oil drilling.  Many have bought into Big Oil’s hype that drilling in places like Virginia and potentially the NY/NJ Bight would “decrease the price of gas and make us more energy independent.”  Clean Ocean Action proved otherwise – citing the government’s own reports, we spread the word near and far that you could drill every drop of oil in the Atlantic and you would only reduce prices by $0.03 (a fraction of the cost of postage)…in 2030!!  These miniscule benefits would take two decades of oil activities off our beaches to have anything to show for it!

Then, as we all know, the BP Deepwater Horizon spill happened…and continued to happen…and continued to happen.  Discharging over 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf – forever changing the ecosystem and economy of the region.   Despite the spill, President Obama continued insisting we needed to drill in the Atlantic! (read more here)

The House of Representatives went along with the President’s plan; despite the best efforts of 12 of New Jersey’s 13 Representatives, and most Democrats from New York, the House passed a bill that also would open the Atlantic to drilling. (read more here)

On the Senate side, New Jersey Senators Lautenberg and Menendez have been long-time advocates for keeping the Atlantic Ocean oil-free, and introduced multiple bills to curtail Obama’s proposed Atlantic Ocean activities. (read more here)

Governor Christie has, throughout his time in office, continuously opposed oil drilling in New Jersey’s ocean and in nearby parts of the Atlantic that would, if anything went wrong, threaten New Jersey’s coast!

Based on the outrageous disaster in the Gulf, and the then-ongoing plan to continue pushing ocean oil drilling to deeper canyons and into oceans like the Atlantic, 2010 saw the first “Hands Across the Sand” worldwide rally for no more oil drilling.  In Asbury Park, NJ, the Clean Ocean Action- and Surfrider-sponsored event brought over 1300 people to the beach to hold hands in solidarity against drilling.

Thanks to the “Hands” event, your voices, with many others across nation, convinced President Obama to reversed course. 

According to the Department of Interior fact sheet issued today, the 2012-2017 oil drilling plan for our oceans “does not include lease sales in the Atlantic region” primarily because of “the current lack of infrastructure to support oil and gas exploration and development, as well as spill preparedness and response” – essentially there is no oil in the Atlantic, so the region isn’t equipped to respond if something went wrong.

Tuesday was a good day for the Atlantic Ocean!

Clean Ocean Action will keep working with other public interest groups and state and federal government agencies to ensure that, in 2017, the Atlantic Ocean stays closed to oil drilling!

Follow us on Facebook for more information here: www.facebook.com/cleanocean

Offshore Oil Takes Center Stage: Again In A Bad Way

Offshore Oil Drilling Takes Center Stage – again in a bad way

On April 20, 2010, a blow-out at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico caused a three-month, 4.9 million-barrel oil spill – the worst in U.S. history.  As we approach the 1-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon-BP oil disaster, offshore oil drilling and exploration is once again in the media spotlight – and once again for reasons that are bad for the environment. 

The President’s Speech on Our Energy Security

On Wednesday March 30th, President Obama addressed a group of students and faculty members at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., on America’s Energy Security. 

After a brief introduction and some comments on the March Madness college basketball tournament, the President turned to energy – citing turmoil in the Middle East, the Japan earthquake disaster, and rising American gasoline prices as the impetus that led him to launch this “new” energy plan for the nation.

The President continued with a good point: that we’ve seen high gas prices here in the US before – most recently during the last Presidential election cycle.  “Drill, baby, drill,” continued Obama, wasn’t “going to do anything to solve the problem.”  Nobly, the President acknowledges that there are no quick fixes to this problem and that demand is outpacing supply, and has been for quite some time (except for a downturn in the recession).  Focusing on the long-term, according to Obama, is the only real solution. 

Obama invigorated the crowd with quotes like: “We cannot keep going from shock when gas prices go up to trance when they go back down,” “We’ve known about the dangers of our oil dependence for decades,” we “cannot afford to bet our long-term prosperity, our long-term security on a resource that will eventually run out,” and “We can’t rush to propose action when gas prices are high and then hit the snooze button when they fall again.”

…and then he ignored his own advice and suggested an energy plan that reduces imports of oil by drilling more at home, investing in clean coal (that isn’t clean at all), and ignoring our skyrocketing energy exports.

After hypnotizing the students with gas-pump price analyses couched in collegiate metaphors designed to show that depending on oil is NOT good energy policy, the President said that he’s going to solve the problems of the present by:

-          Working with Canada and Mexico to give the US “stable and steady and reliable sources” of oil,

-          Sending US technology and “know-how” to Brazil to help that nation develop its vast offshore oil reserves,

-          Initiating a two-part plan in the US:

o        First, “finding and producing more oil at home,” and

o        Second, reducing dependence with cleaner alternatives and efficiency.

If three of the four ideas for our Energy plan involve finding, producing, and using more oil, that energy plan won’t go far toward ending a long-term struggle to move beyond oil addiction.  Add on top the fact that in the one clean idea (“alternatives and efficiency”), when he gets to the specifics, focuses, in great part, on natural gas imports, clean coal, and nuclear options – options that are not environmentally friendly. 

There are elements in his ideas on the second half of the at-home plan that touch on renewable energy technologies and electric cars, but overall, the President’s plan calls for the very thing he said wasn’t “going to do anything to solve the problem” – Obama is calling for “Drill, baby, drill.”

Specifically, Obama admits to expediting new permits, to the fact that last year we produced more oil offshore since 2003, that the administration approved twice as many permits in the last year as were actually drilled, that he will be giving “incentives” (read – more tax breaks) for oil companies that drill in leases they’ve bought but not yet tapped, and, most shockingly, Obama said:

“We’re also exploring and assessing new frontiers for oil and gas development from Alaska to the Mid- and South Atlantic states, because producing more oil in America can help lower oil prices, can help create jobs, and can enhance our energy security, but we’ve got to do it in the right way.”

If the President was serious about protecting the ocean environment, he would not have raved about recent expansions in offshore drilling permits, especially given the lack of real improvements in technologies for protecting against disasters like the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout (read on…). 

An oil policy designed to reduce our dependence on foreign sources would be based on these steps:

1)      Making energy conservation and efficiency his number one priority – instead of relegating it to the last few bullets in his outline.  Cars in Europe are significantly more efficient than cars here; building construction and repair is rebounding from the recession and we need to put standards for efficiency in place; existing gas stations need to be given incentives to add natural gas and electricity “pumps” for our new fleet.

2)      Prohibiting the ever increasing EXPORT of our domestic petroleum products which are now at an all-time high.

3)      Protecting our domestic natural gas by reversing the President’s ongoing policy of approving the export of trillions of cubic feet of domestically-produced natural gas to overseas markets.  In recent months, over a dozen liquefied natural gas companies along our coast have begun the process of applying to the Department of Energy for permission to export domestically-produced natural gas and gas that they previously imported for use by American consumers!  Why should we pay to import more expensive foreign gas when we have plentiful, abundant, cheap gas here, and why should we be exporting any energy products?

While the President’s Energy Plan touches on some lofty goals and a few commendable ideals, as a whole it doesn’t go far enough in protecting the public interest; it is politics as usual, plays to the interests of Big Energy, and clearly states his intention to expand offshore drilling, even in the Atlantic Ocean.

Blowout Preventer Shell-Game

Recently, controversy has arisen over the Obama Administration’s decision to grant 6 (as of March 31, 2011) new deepwater drilling and oil exploration permits – the first 6 new permits since the Deepwater Horizon disaster last April. 

New permits, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE), must have the most up to date oil spill response plans possible, and must have addressed the “lessons learned” by the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout.  What are these lessons learned?  Specifically, the BOEMRE released a report this week that blowout preventers (devices at the seabed that were supposed to “prevent” blowouts) don’t prevent blowouts – even if they are installed perfectly and operating fully.  Basically, BOEMRE says there is no technology currently required by law or regulation that could have stopped the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

So, given the requirement to address this lesson learned and to have up-to-date spill response plans, what is happening in real life?  The first new permit issued by BOEMRE was to a company called Noble Energy, 46% owned by BP, for an oil drilling and exploration plan that (1) uses the same proven-to-be-ineffective blowout preventers, and (2) is based on an oil spill response plan completed in September of 2009 – seven months before the Deepwater Horizon spill occurred. 

Rachel Maddow, of MSNBC broke much of this story (HERE); recently, Representative Markey (D-Mass) called the Bureau to task and launched an investigation into this shell-game (HERE).

“These two examples of ineffectual oil industry responses to the BP spill calls into question the wisdom of moving forward with new deepwater oil drilling permits without better evidence that safety concerns are being properly addressed,” Markey said in his letter to the Director of the BOEMRE.  “If a blowout preventer can't stop a spill, and the oil industry is still relying on pre-Deepwater Horizon spill response plans, I have to ask how much has changed since the worst oil spill in U.S. history occurred nearly one year ago,” he concludes.

COA will monitor the Representative’s investigation – read this blog for updates!

Bills Introduced by House Republicans Aim to Open the Ocean for Oil

In the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) introduced three bills this week that, according to the official press release, will “expand offshore energy production in order to create jobs, lower energy costs, generate revenue to help pay down the national debt, and improve national security by lessening our dependence on foreign energy.”  Read the House of Representatives Press Statement HERE.

According to Rep. Hastings, 

"These bills will directly reverse Obama Administration actions that have locked-up America's vast offshore oil and natural gas resources.  The bills will end the de facto moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico and allow people to return to work, require lease sales to be held that were canceled or delayed by the Obama Administration, and lift the Obama Administration's ban on new offshore drilling by directing production to occur in areas with the most oil and natural gas resources. In contrast to the President's drill nowhere new plan, this is a drill smart plan. The majority of Americans support offshore energy production and these bills will allow it to move forward in a safe, responsible and efficient manner. With thousands unemployed in the Gulf region and gasoline prices nearing $4 per gallon, swift action must be taken to reverse course and increase U.S. energy production.”

Of course, there are a few things wrong with this statement. 

First, as we see above, the “de facto moratorium” that is mentioned is not actually real – the Obama Administration has for months been allowing existing leases to operate (in both shallow and deep water) and has officially allowed 6 new permits and will soon add 3 more.  Also, as many have pointed out, more drilling rigs have moved into the Gulf of Mexico than have left – meaning that there is more going on now than there was before the Deepwater Horizon disaster. 

Second, it has been proven time and time again that there is no connection between gasoline prices and drilling offshore in the U.S., so it is misleading for the Representative to try to not-so-subtly make this connection. 

Third, the Representative tries to show that there is a jobs-killing aspect to the decision not to drill for oil in areas where no drilling has yet happened – and that these bills will remedy this.  Logically, however, regions like the Atlantic Ocean, that never had offshore oil drilling (because of small, uneconomic deposits), lost no drilling jobs because of Obama’s decision not to drill here.  In fact, we think that the decision not to drill in the Atlantic likely went far toward ensuring the security of coastal jobs reliant on tourism, fishing, beach-going, and a clean coastal environment.  This plan to open drilling in the Atlantic Ocean threatens existing jobs – and cannot “put people back to work” that were never there working in the first place.

In the Senate, Senator Vitter (R-La) submitted a new bill (companion piece in the House submitted by Rep. Bishop (R-Utah)) that significantly changes the balance of power in the ocean and coastal zone – in favor of the oil companies.  Coupled with the Rep. Hastings bills, this series of legislation could change the way oceans are managed forever. 

These bills, as drafted, are:

H.R. 1229 - The "Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act"

-          This bill, in part, shortens the timeline that agencies have to review drilling permits to 30 days, limits the ability of courts to review agency actions on drilling permits, and prohibits attorney’s fees and court costs from being awarded – actions that are antithetical to an open government.

H.R. 1230 - The "Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act"

-          This bill specifically targets several areas of the ocean for immediate drilling approval, including parts of the Atlantic Ocean, with no environmental review - a dangerous precedent to set.

H.R. 1231 - The "Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act"

-          This bill requires the use of specific agency reports generated years ago that describe the Atlantic Ocean basin as having a wealth of oil – reports that have since been proven to be wrong, and it creates a system to pay oil companies for costs incurred in finding their own oil!

H.R. 1287 – The “3-D: Domestic Jobs, Domestic Energy, and Deficit Reduction Act of 2011”

-          The provisions of this bill relevant to New Jersey include the elimination of an entire stage of judicial review (district court decisions can only be appealed in the Supreme Court), a presumption of no significant impact if all environmental reviews cannot be completed within 9 months, and the bill forces certain decisions on environmental impacts depending on the status of the national unemployment rate.

Conclusions

Considering that Obama stated publicly (above) that he intends to facilitate an expansion of oil and gas drilling in the ocean and coastal zone, that the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon spill may have been drastically underestimated, that “new” safety measures by BOEMRE appear to be meaningless and useless in stopping a blowout similar to last year’s, and that Congress seems hell-bent on using and abusing the ocean as much as is physically possible, we’re going to gear up for a fight.  Clean Ocean Action, committed to stopping any and all oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, will be keeping an eye on these issues and will report back.

Budget Battles in DC will affect our NJ/NY Ocean Zone

Recently, the federal budget process has gotten attention from the environmental community for proposed cuts in environmental programs.  While the outcome of the budget process is not yet official (as of this posting), many of the proposals deserve mention. 

President Obama made good on the State of the Union promise to cut energy subsidies by proposing to eliminate tax breaks open only to the oil and gas industry, a cut that saves the US $43.6 Billion over the next decade.  The President also increased the budget of the agency responsible for offshore energy management (BOEMRE, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement) by $119 million.  This increase is designed to give the agency the funds it needs to expand oversight of oil and gas drilling operations in the ocean.

Not all news from Washington on the budget gives hope to ocean advocates – both the President and Congress have suggested huge spending cuts to many programs vital to the protection of coastal ecosystems.  NOAA’s budget could be reduced by $56.8 million and the EPA’s by $1.3 billion.  Congress’s proposed budget amendment would make it illegal for EPA to regulate or enforce programs ranging from hazardous materials and water quality to climate change and urban sprawl.  Finally, Congress proposed that all oil and gas drilling operations in the ocean be approved regardless of environmental consequence – thereby saving the money allocated for the environmental review of energy development. 

These fights over funding bring into focus the need for the Clean Ocean Zone legislation (http://www.cleanoceanzone.org/).  Because Congress can easily fund or de-fund environmental protection programs this easily (and without public review and participation, impacts analyses, or real foresight), we need a lasting law that once and for all protects the NY/NJ Bight from industrialization and new sources of pollution.  With a clear set of policies and principles in place for our corner of the ocean, we’d be more insulated from the vagaries of Congressional (and Presidential) budget whims.

COA is monitoring the outcome of these budget negotiations and will report back once this budget battle is concluded!