FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 25, 2012

KEATING FIGHTS AGAINST LEGISLATION THAT
WOULD ENDANGER COASTAL COMMUNITIES

Calls bill a political ploy with very real consequences

 
Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation that would endanger coastal economies from Maine to South Carolina and put them at risk of another Deepwater Horizon disaster. 

HR 6082, the Congressional Replacement of President Obama’s Energy-Restricting and Job-Limiting Offshore Drilling Plan, would replace the Administration’s existing five-year offshore leasing plan and require drilling off the East and West Coasts and in the important Alaskan fishery of Bristol Bay - all areas that were excluded from Interior's final five-year leasing plan. Furthermore, it would override the federal environmental review process and force the Department of the Interior to conduct a single environmental review for the new leasing sites in these three diverse ecosystems. 

Said Rep. Keating:
This legislation is nothing but a political messaging ploy by the House majority.  Just look at the title of the bill, which happens to be the 142nd vote this House has taken to promote Big Oil over our families and our environment.  Worse, if enacted, this legislation would pose a direct threat to all aspects of our country’s maritime industries – from fishing to tourism.  That is something Massachusetts and our other coastal states cannot afford.  Green technology is one of the fastest growing sectors in our country, and we need to be creating jobs, not giving handouts to Big Oil.

Yesterday, Rep. Keating took to the House floor in opposition to HR 6082.  You can watch his speech in opposition to the legislation below:
 

If you cannot open the video by clicking on the picture above, you can find it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDgPvfNFVj8&feature;=youtu.be