March 18, 2015 — "We strongly urge you to remove all Atlantic planning areas prior to issuing the final iteration of the Five-Year Plan. While drilling is not authorized directly off the Jersey Shore, oil spills do not respect state boundaries and the proposed Virginia lease areas are only 90 miles from Cape May, New Jersey."
In advance of today’s hearing in Atlantic City regarding a proposed plan for offshore oil and gas drilling along the Atlantic Coast, U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09) and Frank Pallone (NJ-06) were joined by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker (both NJ) and Reps. Albio Sires (NJ-08) and Donald Norcross (NJ-01) in sending a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management opposing the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022. The plan considers offshore drilling sites in a portion of the Mid- and South Atlantic OCS, which includes areas offshore Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia.
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