May 16, 2015 — State residents joined hands with the New Jersey Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Bradley Beach Mayor Gary Engelstad, and U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) in opposition to offshore drilling. The annual event, held across the country and around the world is even more serious this year because of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program proposed by the Obama Administration.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) proposal could open up areas from Georgia to Virginia to offshore drilling, putting the New Jersey coast at risk. The gathering promoted the need to move away from dirty fossil fuels and call to move us into a clean energy future.
“Offshore drilling isn’t safe anywhere, and a spill in the Atlantic, as we’ve seen in the Gulf, would cause detrimental and lasting environmental and economic damage. Instead of putting our coastal communities at risk with a dependence on dirty fuels, we should be seeking to protect our natural resources while boosting the economy through investments in clean energy,” said Pallone.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf caused unprecedented environmental and economic damage. The 200 million gallon explosion killed 11 people, injured 17 others, and harmed thousands of fish and wildlife species. The spill was the largest recorded in U.S. history and affected 16,000 total miles of coastline.
Years later, oil is still washing up on the gulf’s shores and dozens of species have been affected including fish, oysters, and crab. Crabs and oysters have seen significant decreases in population growth. Noticeable declines in population and defects have also been recognized in fish like tuna and red snapper.
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