Bill Text: NJ SR140 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Urges federal government not to allow oil and natural gas drilling off NJ coast.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-11-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [SR140 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2016-SR140-Introduced.html

SENATE RESOLUTION No. 140

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

217th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED NOVEMBER 9, 2017

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  JENNIFER BECK

District 11 (Monmouth)

Senator  CHRISTOPHER "KIP" BATEMAN

District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Urges federal government not to allow oil and natural gas drilling off NJ coast.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


A Senate Resolution urging the federal government not to allow oil and natural gas drilling off the New Jersey coast and the coasts of nearby states.

 

Whereas,  New Jersey's oceanfront is the State's most iconic natural resource, and attracts millions of visitors from across the world every year; and

Whereas,  New Jersey's tourism industry is a central part of the State's economy, generating over $44 billion annually, supporting 321,000 jobs, and indirectly bolstering 10 percent of the State's workforce, and much of this industry is centered along New Jersey's coastline; and

Whereas,  Tourism in New Jersey generates $4.9 billion in State and local tax revenue and $5.6 billion in federal tax revenue annually; and

Whereas,  The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the United States Department of the Interior approved a leasing plan in January 2017 which did not include any oil and natural gas development in the Atlantic Ocean through 2022; and

Whereas,  On April 28, 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order No. 13795 entitled "Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy"; and

Whereas,  The executive order encourages oil and natural gas production 50 miles offshore from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, the Gulf of Mexico, and areas of Alaska; and

Whereas,  The executive order requires BOEM to consider revising the leasing schedule to permit annual lease sales to the maximum extent allowable by law in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions, among others; and

Whereas,  The executive order also requires the Secretary of the Interior to reconsider rules concerning an operator's financial capacity to pay for leasing requirements, and safety regulations passed in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010; and

Whereas,  The executive order also seeks to loosen regulatory requirements on seismic airgun testing, which could have dramatic impacts on commercial fishing; and

Whereas,  On May 1, 2017, the United States Department of the Interior announced Secretarial Order No. 3350 which further implements the President's executive order; and

Whereas,  The secretarial order directs BOEM to develop a new five-year leasing plan with full consideration of the President's priorities as stated in the executive order; and

Whereas,  The secretarial order also directs BOEM to expedite permitting applications for seismic airgun surveying and to begin the process of rescinding previous executive actions limiting oil and natural gas production and exploration off the Atlantic Coast; and

Whereas,  On June 6, 2017, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration released for public comment five permits that would allow for the incidental harassment of marine mammals by using airguns in seismic surveying from the coast of Delaware to Cape Canaveral in Florida; and

Whereas,  On July 3, 2017, BOEM published a request for information and comments on the preparation of a new leasing schedule, and requested information concerning the entire coast of the United States, not just the areas identified in the executive order; and

Whereas,  These executive actions represent a particularly serious threat because they not only call for an expanded drilling area, but also roll back safety regulations designed to prevent future spills; and

Whereas,  Opening the Atlantic Coast for offshore oil and natural gas drilling would put beaches, fisheries, marine life, and businesses all along the coast of New Jersey at risk; and

Whereas,  The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, a state and federal cooperative responsible for developing fishery management plans, has expressed its opposition to oil and natural gas development off of the Atlantic Coast, specifically stating that seismic surveying and the increased disturbances that come with oil and natural gas development will have "broad and cascading effects" on the marine ecosystems that support fishing; and

Whereas,  Oil and natural gas leasing in the areas managed by the federal government could result in drilling as few as three miles off New Jersey's coast; and

Whereas,  An oil spill of the magnitude of the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 could easily reach New Jersey and destroy the State's coastal resources; and

Whereas,  Senator Menendez, Senator Booker, and Governor Christie have all expressed formal opposition to the plan to permit drilling off the Atlantic Coast, each recognizing the grave threat such industrialization poses to the economy and the ecology of the State; and

Whereas,  There is broad bipartisan consensus among New Jersey's State and federal representatives that oil and natural gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean would harm commercial and recreational fisheries, tourism, and the economy of New Jersey's coastal municipalities; and

Whereas,  The federal government should respect the wishes of the communities that would be most directly impacted by offshore oil and natural gas development, and not permit any leases in the Atlantic Ocean; now, therefore,

 

     Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:

     1.  This House strongly urges the federal government not to allow oil and natural gas exploration and development off of the coast of New Jersey, as doing so would adversely impact the economies and natural resources of New Jersey's coastal communities and the entire State.

 

     2.  Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the President of the United States, the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior, the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the United States Department of the Interior, the Acting Administrator of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, every member of Congress from the State of New Jersey, the Governor of New Jersey, and the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This resolution strongly urges the federal government not to allow oil and natural gas exploration and development off of the coast of New Jersey.

     The plan to explore for, and drill for, oil and natural gas off the Atlantic Coast threatens the economy of New Jersey and the ecological areas upon which the State depends.  The Jersey Shore is a critical part of New Jersey's $44 billion tourism industry, and is responsible for hundreds of thousands of jobs.  New Jersey's coast is home to many commercial fishing operations that rely on a healthy ocean ecosystem to support their businesses, and many recreational anglers visit New Jersey to enjoy the same.

     The federal government has continued to take steps toward allowing oil and natural gas exploration and development in the Atlantic Ocean despite near universal opposition from the elected officials of New Jersey.  For example, Senator Booker, Senator Menendez, and Governor Christie have all opposed the plans to expand oil and natural gas drilling, each recognizing the great risks that offshore oil and natural gas development pose to the economy and ecology of this State.  The federal government should respect the wishes of the communities that would be most directly impacted by offshore oil and natural gas development, and not permit any leases in the Atlantic Ocean.

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