Oceana Reacts to Passage of Drilling Legislation in U.S. House of Representatives | Oceana

Oceana Reacts to Passage of Drilling Legislation in U.S. House of Representatives

Press Release Date: May 5, 2011

Location: Washington, D.C.

Contact:

Anna Baxter | email: abaxter@oceana.org
Anna Baxter

 

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Act.

This dangerous bill would force the Obama Administration to allow offshore drilling off the Virginia coast and would require leasing in a 2.9 million acre area at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.   The bill would also accelerate leasing in Gulf of Mexico waters, based on outdated environmental analyses done prior to last year’s gulf spill. 

Ocean conservation group Oceana reacted:

“There’s no justification for passage of this bill.   Offshore drilling is still risky and dirty, and still puts lives and coastal economies at great risk.  Once again, Congress is putting the interests of the oil industry over those of the American people. Their chief priority seems to be assuring continued profits, even if it costs us our coasts,” said Oceana senior campaign director Jacqueline Savitz.

Oceana is the largest international advocacy group working solely to protect the world’s oceans. Oceana wins policy victories for the oceans using science-based campaigns. Since 2001, we have protected over 1.2 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and other sea creatures. More than 500,000 supporters have already joined Oceana. Global in scope, Oceana has offices in North, South and Central America and Europe. To learn more, please visit www.oceana.org.