Yesterday members of the New Jersey delegation, including U.S. Reps. Chris Smith (NJ-04) and Tom MacArthur (NJ-03), met with Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke regarding the Administration’s proposal to open over 90 percent of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf to oil and gas exploration and drilling.
The members expressed their serious concerns over the proposal to Zinke and urged him to exempt New Jersey from the list of states for the proposed offshore drilling expansion.
“We made it quite clear to the Secretary that we, as representatives of the people of New Jersey, are united in our unequivocal opposition to this proposal,” Smith stated. “We must protect our pristine beaches and coastal waters, and the tourism and fishing industries that rely upon them; one spill could be a disaster for our state. After our conversation with the Secretary, I am confident that the proposal will soon be off the table for New Jersey.”
“During our meeting with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, I urged the Secretary, who is a former colleague of mine, to take New Jersey off the list of offshore oil drilling locations,” Rep. MacArthur stated. “It was a productive conversation and I am confident the Secretary understands New Jersey’s unique concerns and hope that he will remove our state from this list. I’m grateful the entire New Jersey delegation stands united in this effort.”
The proposal, announced in January, was part of the five-year plan for the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program) from 2019-2024. Days after the announcement, Secretary Zinke announced that the State of Florida would be exempt from the proposal because of its “unique” status in its economic reliance upon coastal tourism.
The New Jersey members, who also included Reps. Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02) and Leonard Lance (NJ-07), on Tuesday shared their concerns to Secretary Zinke on the possible economic impact an oil spill off the coast of New Jersey could have upon the state’s beach tourism. Oil and gas exploration could also seriously impact the state’s commercial fishing industry.
