“Let me thank Secretary Kempthorne and Director Burton for their response to the bi-partisan request of the New Jersey delegation for a public hearing on the Administration’s proposal to open the outer continental shelf off Virginia’s coast for oil and gas drilling.

“The coastal members of our delegation oppose this proposal. Drilling off the coast of Virginia poses a direct threat to the environment and economy of New Jersey. Instead of drilling, the Administration should give all of the protected Outer Continental Shelf of the Atlantic Coast permanent protection from offshore oil and gas drilling.

“I grew up in New Jersey and take great pride in my home state, and am very protective of the things that make New Jersey so great. Right at the top of that list is the Jersey Shore.

“In the summertime, it’s hard to beat spending a day at one of our beautiful beaches, watching our children and grandchildren play in the surf. Perhaps you like to fish, or stroll along the boardwalk in the evening. You can do it all at the Jersey Shore.

“Our 127 miles of shoreline are a major economic engine for our state. Tourism in New Jersey is a $30 billion a year industry that supports 400,000 jobs – and 70 percent of all state tourism revenues originate at the shore. When anybody proposes something that could put the shore at risk, I take it very seriously.

“I also cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of protecting the sensitive marine areas off the coast of New Jersey. The people of New Jersey do not want pollution from oil and gas rigs marring their beaches and fishing grounds.

“Drilling poses serious threats to our environment and to our economy. According to the Department of Interior, three million gallons of oil spilled from offshore operations in 73 incidents between 1980 and 1999. That’s an average of about four incidents a year - and more than 40,000 gallons of oil per spill. That is more than enough oil to ruin a beach town’s tourist season for years to come. We simply cannot afford to damage our shorelines, nor the marine life that inhabits our coastal waters.

“The United States needs new sources of energy, but we have never made the long-term commitment to renewable energy that is vital to weaning ourselves off of our addiction to fossil fuels. And the enormous potential for energy conservation and efficiency savings are largely untapped.

“According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, we could save more than 20 billion barrels of oil over twenty years simply by setting average fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks at 40 miles per gallon.

“If we better utilize the untapped potential of renewable sources of domestic energy and savings – there will never be a need to drill for oil in our precious coastal waters.

“Opening up even a single state on the Atlantic coast to offshore drilling simply won’t work. Ocean currents off the coast of one state could easily carry an oil slick to many states. There won’t be any fences to protect neighbors from an oil spill that occurs off the coast of Virginia. And the costs of such a spill could be devastating.

“In 1988 a bag of medical waste washed up on the Jersey Shore. The incident was widely reported in the media, and we lost one-third of our tourism revenue that year.

“No matter how careful industry might be, and however much the technology of drilling has improved over the years, if our coasts are opened to drilling, there will be oil spills.

“Our commercial and recreational fishing industries in New Jersey are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. We can’t afford the economic catastrophe of an oil spill reaching our shores - whether the drill rigs are located in the waters off New Jersey or Virginia.

“I will continue to work with the rest of the New Jersey delegation to prevent oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic Coast. It is the wrong policy for New Jersey and the nation."

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