Welcome to Ocean Watch; a weekly recap of federal and regional
actions that impact the coastal and marine water quality and ecosystems of the
Mid-Atlantic Ocean. Clean Ocean Action will aggregate and analyze these
actions, and signify the impact and threat level to the Mid-Atlantic using
color coding – Red is a high level threat, orange is intermediate, yellow is a
caution, and green would be a positive action. While many of these actions have
taken place in Washington DC, and don’t affect the mid-Atlantic directly, the
direction of national energy, climate, and regulatory policy will have
implications and impacts for the mid-Atlantic region.
Mid-Atlantic
Ocean Watch – Week 11
More Indications that Offshore Oil and Gas is Back on the
table
Prior to leaving office, the Obama administration removed the
mid-Atlantic outer continental shelf (OCS) region from the 2017-2022 5 year
lease plan for offshore drilling due to conflicts with military activities
and widespread organized opposition to drilling in the Atlantic. Obama also
used his executive authority under the National Antiquities Act and the Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect deepwater canyon areas in the
Mid-Atlantic, much of the Arctic offshore region, and other areas in the
Pacific from oil and gas development.
Unfortunately, it appears that these actions are going to be
revisited or challenged by the Trump Administration. In conjunction with
President Trump's executive order on climate and energy (signed last
week), Secretary of Interior Zinke announcing that he will be
reviewing all Interior Department regulations, including the 5 year offshore
drilling plan.
Furthermore, numerous reports coming out of Washington D.C. indicate
that the Trump Administration is setting its sights on more executive orders
and other actions that target not just a reopening of the OCS Lease Plan
(and the potential reinclusion of the mid-Atlantic in this plan), but also
actions aimed at shrinking or eliminating national monuments or
nixing another offshore order signed by former President Obama that placed
98 percent of the U.S. Arctic under protection.
This should set of the alarms of all those who depend upon a clean
ocean in the Atlantic and abroad. Oil does not respect state boundaries.
Seismic blasting to discover these reserves does not discriminate between a
dolphin from New Jersey and a whale from Florida. Call your congressional
representatives TODAY, and tell them that offshore oil and gas drilling
anywhere in the Atlantic is not acceptable!
Montreal Protocol On the Chopping Block Too?!
Remember that pesky hole in the ozone layer? The U.S. contributes around $30 million to the fund responsible for aiding countries in adapting to technologies and regulations that have helped close the hole in the, however with budget cuts aimed at all manner of programs, that money is at risk of getting axed. As an international meeting of countries met last week, the budget was a serious matter of concern, and according to several representatives, killing the funding would send a worrisome signal to the world not just on the current status of the agreement, but also for ratification of an amendment to the protocol agreed to in Kigali, Rwanda, that would cut down emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, a coolant with high global warming potential.
Williams Transco has proposed a 23.4-mile pipeline project to
expand its existing Transco transmission system to transport natural gas from
the Marcellus Shale region through Raritan Bay to New York by running a new
pipeline parallel to the existing NY Bay Lower Lateral pipe that was installed
under the Raritan Bay in the 1960s. Williams just recently submitted its formal
7(c) Natural Gas Certificate Application to the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC); a copy of the filing can be found on the FERC website here. With this filing, Williams now begins
the formal application review process; public scoping meetings and a comment
period will be opened for the project in the coming months. COA is working with
a coalition of groups on this including NY/NJ Baykeeper and Bayshore Regional Watershed
Council.
Another CRA Action
President Trump signed another Congressional Review Act resolution (H.J. Res. 69) last week nullifying a Fish & Wildlife Service regulation that barred certain hunting practices such as baiting, trapping and denning animals like wolves and bears in Alaskan national wildlife refuges. It's the fourth successful energy- or environment-related CRA challenge to Obama-era regulations.
Clean Water Champions ask Pruitt to Clarify Stance
Eleven Senate Democrats, led by Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and joined by Senator Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) among others, asked Pruitt in a letter Monday to explain how the EPA would meet its mission of protecting clean water if it implements Trump's executive order rolling back Waters of the U.S. The letter lays out concerns that “that revising or revoking this rule will only increase uncertainty amongst farmers, developers, and other stakeholders that want clarity about what water bodies the law protects from pollution. . .”
Maryland Bans Fracking!
This week, the Maryland State Senate took a
major step toward protecting the drinking water of millions of people in the
Washington, DC area and western Maryland by passing a statewide
ban on hydraulic fracturing. The measure, was approved by the
Maryland House of Delegates, and signed into law by Gov. Larry Hogan. Without
legislative action, the moratorium on fracking (passed in 2015) would have
expired this year. The action is the first time that a state with natural gas
reserves has enacted a ban on fracking passed by a legislature and signed by a
governor. In 2014, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo banned high-volume
hydraulic fracturing by executive action.
Bipartisan
Coalition Takes Steps to Protect the Arctic
Representatives Jared Huffman
(D-CA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Frank LoBiondo
(R-NJ) introduced the bipartisan Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act to
designate the 1.5 million-acre Alaska Coastal Plain as wilderness, codifying
into law permanent protections from damaging activities like oil and gas
drilling.
Some
Climate Action!
Thirty-six house democrats introduced a bill to
overturn President Trump’s “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth”
order. The “Congressional Leadership in Mitigating Administration Threats to
the Earth (CLIMATE) Act” (H.R. 1812) declares the president’s document null and void and
would prohibit federal funds for implementing, administering or enforcing it.
Poll
Finds Majority of Americans Disagree with Trump’s Climate Policies
President
Donald Trump’s stance and policies on climate change are opposed by a majority
of Americans, a poll released Wednesday indicated. More than three-quarters of
Americans surveyed—76 percent—are at least somewhat concerned by climate
change, according to a Quinnipiac University poll, with 59 percent saying more needs to be done to address the
problem. Read the full poll results here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-climate-change-policy-strongly-172103164.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma
YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED!
·
The executive
orders and congressional actions of the last week have reinforced how vital it
is that every citizen engage with their elected officials. In this day and age
of instant communication, there is no excuse for not contacting your elected
officials. Use the links below to find your representatives and let them know
how important clean water and strong environmental protections are.
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Federal:
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State Level:
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For NJ residents,
contact your State Senate and Assembly Representatives: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/njmap210.html
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For NY residents,
contact your State Senate and Assembly Representatives: http://www.elections.ny.gov/district-map/district-map.html
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