BOSTON, MA (September 25, 2008) – Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy today introduced legislation to permanently ban drilling in Georges Bank, one of the most prolific fishing grounds in the Atlantic.
Under pressure from President Bush, who lifted the Presidential moratorium on offshore drilling earlier this year, the longstanding Congressional ban on offshore drilling will expire next Tuesday and all coastal waters three miles off the Massachusetts coastline – including Georges Bank – will be open to oil exploration.
"Fishing has been a way of life in Massachusetts for as long as our state has been in existence. Georges Bank is one of the richest fishing grounds in the world, and it is unconscionable to risk it all for the slim possibility of extracting a minuscule amount of oil and gas. Senator Kennedy and I, along with our colleagues in the House, will do everything we can to ensure no drilling occurs in Georges Bank now – or ever," said Senator Kerry.
Read the legislative announcement in full