Opponents of a federal plan to allow drilling off mid-Atlantic states said Friday that the massive spill in the Gulf Coast shows why expanding oil leases is a bad idea for New Jersey.
New Jersey environmentalists and political leaders said the Gulf spill had solidified their opposition, and a fishing group that previously supported proposed oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean said the disaster changed many members’ opinions.
The spill 40 miles off Louisiana is leaking an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil per day into the gulf, making it one of the worst manmade ecological disasters in the United States. The spill started after an oil rig leased by British Petroleum exploded April 20, killing 11 people.
At the present rate of leakage, the disaster could eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska by mid-June, a distinct possibility if oil companies fail to stem the flow.
Read the complete story at The Press of Atlantic City.