Press Releases
Pascrell, New Jersey Congressional Delegation Call on House Republicans to End Offshore Drilling Blackmail
Washington, DC,
June 15, 2018
Today, U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and the entire New Jersey congressional delegation joined in writing a letter to Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT-01), the Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-03), the Ranking Members of the Committee, to express their opposition to Republican legislation that was considered in a Natural Resources subcommittee hearing this week that would fine New Jersey and other states that have taken measures to block oil and gas drilling off their coastlines. “We request that the Committee refrain from introducing any legislation that would put the economy of coastal communities or the health of our waters at risk,” the Members write. “We have heard from more than 41,000 business owners, 500,000 fishing families, and numerous elected officials along our coasts that recognize and reject the risks of offshore oil and gas development,” the Members continue. “It is time that the federal government listens to the coastal communities that will suffer most from the impacts of oil and gas development.” The letter was signed by Rep. Pascrell and by Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory A. Booker, and Reps. Donald Norcross, Frank A. LoBiando, Tom MacArthur, Christopher Smith, Josh Gottheimer, Frank Pallone, Leonard Lance, Albio Sires, Donald Payne, Jr., Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, and Bonnie Watson Coleman. On Thursday, Pascrell assailed the Republican-led plan as “legislative blackmail” and “government by vengeance” intended to punish New Jerseyans. Full text of the letter follows. June 15, 2018 The Honorable Rob Bishop The Honorable Raúl Grijalva Chairman Ranking Member House Committee on Natural Resources House Committee on Natural Resources Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva: We are writing to express our strong opposition to the Natural Resources Committee’s proposed legislation, the “Enhancing State Management of Federal Lands and Waters Act.” This proposed bill would penalize states like New Jersey, who have responded to their coastal community’s demands by effectively banning oil and gas development off of state shores. Specifically, we request that the Committee refrain from introducing any legislation that would put the economy of coastal communities or the health of our waters at risk. We have heard from more than 41,000 business owners, 500,000 fishing families, and numerous elected officials along our coasts that recognize and reject the risks of offshore oil and gas development. In response, on April 20, 2018, Governor Murphy of New Jersey signed the Shore Tourism and Ocean Protection (STOP) from Offshore Oil and Gas Act into law. This bill would ban offshore drilling in state waters and would prohibit infrastructure from being built in state waters that would support drilling in federal waters off of the coast of New Jersey. It is time that the federal government listens to the coastal communities that will suffer most from the impacts of oil and gas development. The Enhancing State Management of Federal Lands and Waters Act would impose a fee on any state that prevents offshore drilling on 50 percent or more of a proposed lease sale. States would be required to pay a fee equal to at least one-tenth the estimated government revenue that would have been generated from the lease sales, royalties, and other revenue streams, if the oil and gas drilling had taken place. The threat of punishing coastal states with fees is trivial compared to the economic and environmental threat of off-shore drilling. The vitality of coastal economies is tied to healthy ocean ecosystems. Currently, healthy ocean ecosystems along the East Coast support more than $95 billion in gross domestic product and nearly 1.4 million jobs annually through fishing, recreation and tourism. In New Jersey alone, the tourism industry generates $44 billion a year and supports over half a million direct and indirect jobs. Additionally, New Jersey’s commercial fishing industry generates over $7.9 billion annually and supports over 50,000 jobs, and the state has one of the largest saltwater recreational fishing industries in the nation. We have seen the damage that the BP oil spill had on the coastal communities of the Gulf Coast, and therefore we will stop at nothing to prevent this disaster from occurring off of the Jersey Shore. Should the Enhancing State Management of Federal Lands and Waters Act be introduced and passed through Congress, states like New Jersey would be severely punished for taking responsible actions, such as imposing state laws on behalf of our constituents, to prevent drilling in state waters. The potential for significant economic and environmental harm along the Jersey Shore demands careful consideration. Therefore, we urge the Committee to refrain from introducing the Enhancing State Management of Federal Lands and Waters Act, or any legislation that would put the economy of coastal communities or the health of our waters at risk. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, ____________________________ ____________________________ FRANK PALLONE, JR. ROBERT MENENDEZ Member of Congress United States Senator __________________________ __________________________ CORY A. BOOKER ALBIO SIRES United States Senator Member of Congress __________________________ __________________________ CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH FRANK A. LOBIONDO Member of Congress Member of Congress __________________________ __________________________ LEONARD LANCE DONALD NORCROSS Member of Congress Member of Congress __________________________ __________________________ RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN BILL PASCRELL, JR. Member of Congress Member of Congress __________________________ __________________________ TOM MACARTHUR DONALD M. PAYNE, JR. Member of Congress Member of Congress __________________________ __________________________ BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN JOSH GOTTHEIMER Member of Congress Member of Congress |