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WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a letter sent today, a group of New Jersey lawmakers expressed their strong opposition to portions of the Bush administration's proposal to remove the moratorium on oil and gas drilling off the coast of Virginia. Signing the letter were Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D), Robert Menendez (D), Congressmen Frank Pallone (D), Jim Saxton (R), Rush Holt (D), Chris Smith (R), Bill Pascrell (D), Frank LoBiondo (R), Rob Andrews (D), Mike Ferguson (R), Steve Rothman (D), Donald Payne (D) and Rodney Frelinghuysen (R).
A Congressional moratorium and a Presidential order currently prevent any oil and gas drilling activities along the entire Atlantic seaboard until 2012. However, the Minerals Management Service's (MMS) Draft Proposed Five-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program would open the OCS off the coast of Virginia for oil and gas drilling.
"The beaches of New Jersey are a national treasure and a vital source of income and pride for the state. Tourism is a $22 billion industry in New Jersey, and is responsible for over 10 percent of the state's jobs. On the other hand, according to your agency, the amount of technically recoverable oil in the Mid-Atlantic Planning Area would last only between 17 to 41 days, and the amount of technically recoverable gas would last only three months. To put our beaches, our fishing, and our tourism economy at risk for such minimal amounts of oil and gas is short-sighted and entirely unacceptable to the people of New Jersey. We strongly urge you to remove the Mid-Atlantic drilling provisions from the 5-year proposed plan," the lawmakers wrote in their letter to the Minerals Management Service. |
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