Tuesday, May 8, 2018

NJ Law Leads the Nation to STOP Offshore Drilling

On the 8th Anniversary of the worst oil spill in history, the tragic Deep Water Horizon/BP Oil Spill Disaster, NJ Governor Murphy signed into law the STOP – Offshore Oil and Gas Act.  It is the strongest state law in the country against the offshore oil and gas industry, and passed with near unanimous\bi-partisan support from the NJ legislature.  It also affirms the importance of the ocean to the state’s economy and psyche—from High Point to Cape May Point, most agree —the Jersey Shore is a Clean Ocean Zone and a no-go zone for ocean industrialization.


Waves of thanks to Governor Murphy and the bill's original sponsors from NJ's 1st District - Senator Van Drew, and Assemblyman Land and Andrzejczak
The law was in response to the threat from the Trump Administration to open up 90% of US waters including to 3 miles of the coast.  This law will prohibit offshore drilling and pipelines in state waters (within 3 miles), prohibits onshore support infrastructure, authorizes NJDEP to review any offshore drilling project in the Atlantic Ocean that may put NJ at risk, and finally, directs NJEP to establish these provisions as “enforceable policies” which provide greater protection against drilling in federal waters.  In short, NJ has set the bar for the nation on how a state can defend the ocean from abuse by Big Oil.  COA played a leading role in the drafting of the law, and COA urges other states in the 
Atlantic and beyond to pass identical legislation.  

COA was honored to receive one of the pens that the Governor used to sign the bill into law

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