Clean Ocean Action Took to the Hill - Recap of Blue Vision Summit & Healthy Ocean Hill Day

Clean Ocean Action helped to make history! We were part of the largest Healthy Ocean Hill Day, with 161 congressional meetings and 26 states represented on the Hill advocating for ocean issues. The New Jersey Hill Day group met with 13 of our 14 elected officials’ offices! We discussed both national and local ocean issues including offshore drilling, pirate fishing, seismic testing, Port Ambrose, and funding for the Beach Act.

Not only did we meet personally with Congressman LoBiondo, but we took the photo of the day – a selfie with Senator Cory Booker! Healthy Ocean’s Hill Day was part of the 5^th Annual Blue Vision Summit in Washington DC. Over four days we heard from renowned speakers including Ralph Nader, Fabien Cousteau, Representatives Sam Farr, and Senator Whitehouse. There were also discussions on various issues such as plastic pollution, offshore oil drilling, and youth leadership.

The Blue Vision Summit was a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk with different organizations and ocean minded people from around the country working to protect our marine environment. Cannot wait to break our 2015 meeting record and make history again in 2017! 

Members of Congress, led by New Jerseyans, Urge President Obama to Reconsider Seismic Exploration Plan

On Capitol Hill today, lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have called on President Barack Obama to reconsider the U.S. Department of Interior's plan to use seismic surveys to search for deposits of oil and gas in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean.  The plan, proposed by the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management last year, would open the Mid-Atlantic to seismic surveys, using sound blasts louder than a jet engine to penetrate thousands of feet into the seabed.  In addition to being the first step towards drilling in the Mid-Atlantic the effects of the exploration itself are hazardous to marine life big and small causing a range of impacts to from panic to death for miles.

“While the region copes with the impact from Sandy, the threat of seismic exploration adds insult to injury for our fishing communities and marine life,” said Clean Ocean Action Executive Director Cindy Zipf.

Leading the delegation of members of Congress are New Jersey's own Senator Frank Lautenberg in the Senate, and Representative Frank Pallone in the House.  Other members from New Jersey’s delegation included Senator Robert Menendez and Representatives Rush Holt, Bill Pascrell, and Albio Sires.  In New York, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter and Congressman Chuck Rangel signed on.  Here is a complete list of signers:

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ)

Congressman Tim Moran (D-VA)

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY)

Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL)

Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Congresswoman Corrine Brown (D-FL)

Congressman William Lacy Clay (D-MO)

Congressman Bill Keating (D-MA)

Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA)

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

Congressman Mike Capuano (D-MA)

Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY)

Congesswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)

Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT)

Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA)

Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

Congressman David Price (D-NC)

Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)

Congressman John Tierney (D-MA)

Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)

Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL)

Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA)

Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ)

“We applaud those members of Congress who have taken a stand today against seismic exploration, especially those from New Jersey.  We are proud of New Jersey's dedication to protecting our shores from industry and thank Senator Lautenberg and Congressman Pallone for leading the charge. As was evidenced in Atlantic City last year when BOEM held a public hearing on seismic surveys, the people of New Jersey have no interest in allowing industry off our shores, and will continue to make our voices heard and stand up to big oil,” added Zipf.

In April of last year, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management held a public hearing in Atlantic City to allow members of the public to voice their opinion on the proposed surveys.  Members of the public opposed to the surveys outnumbered those in favor 10-1.

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... 

DC or Bust! Join COA at the Blue Vision Summit 3 in May!

From May 20th to May 23rd, at George Washington University in Washington, DC, ocean advocates, conservationists, and leaders from across the nation will come together to fight as one voice for the oceans.

At this summit, leaders, members, and activists from dozens of ocean protection programs (non-profits, agencies, and NGOs) will gather for panels and workshops that include these amazing topics:

-          
The BP Oil Disaster and the Gulf’s Recovery

• Healthy Oceans, resilient coasts, jobs and the economy
• Establishing Ocean Wilderness Areas (Marine Protected Areas) and Hope Spots in the Sea
• Advancing the issue of ocean acidification: beyond climate and energy policy reform
• Offshore energy: yesterday, today and tomorrow
• Oceans of Faith – Religious Leadership and the Ocean
• Promoting Ocean & Coastal Restoration
• Ocean Energy - Turning the tide for power & the environment
• Seas of Plastic
• National Ocean Policy
• Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning – What’s in it for me?
• Ocean Recreation and Conservation Alliances
• Finding the Funding for Your Ocean Conservation Project
• Endangered Water Systems – Infrastructure and Innovation
• State of Ocean Funding in DC
• Implementing Good Ocean Policy at the State Level
• Cities and The Sea
• The Future of Fish

In addition to these great programs (two of which Clean Ocean Action is organizing), the Summit will end with an all-hands-on-deck “Hill Day” where Summit-goers and ocean advocates that can make it to DC on Monday the 23rd of May will swarm throughout the Senate and House office buildings carrying a message of a clean ocean to elected officials from across the nation. 

Clean Ocean Action is the “regional coordinator” for this Hill Day’s visits to New Jersey and New York Elected Officials so if you’d like to join us in DC for the day and chat with your representatives and Senators on Ocean issues facing New York and New Jersey, please contact the COA offices.

With a Congress that is trying to open our Atlantic Ocean to oil and gas drilling, a dearth of funding for water system infrastructure improvements, and ocean pollution problems cropping up seemingly every day, it is very important that we head to DC to convince our representatives to take bold, significant action to save Big Blue.

For information on the Conference, click here

For registration, click here