{"id":2548,"date":"2018-03-01T12:05:11","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T17:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.suitupmaine.org\/?p=2548"},"modified":"2019-03-23T22:47:05","modified_gmt":"2019-03-24T02:47:05","slug":"protect-maines-coastal-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suitupmaine.org\/protect-maines-coastal-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"KEEP THE COAST CLEAR: Oppose Offshore Drilling in Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Quick Action” title=”Quick Action” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%82%%” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”809px” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”65px” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ header_font=”|700||on|||||” header_text_align=”left” body_text_align=”left” body_text_color=”#efb217″ background_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”15px|15px|15px|15px” animation_style=”slide” animation_direction=”left” animation_starting_opacity=”20%” animation=”right”]<\/p>\n

The Trump administration wants to open most of the U.S. coastline to oil and gas exploration, including Maine. Our congressional delegation as well as the Maine legislature unanimously oppose the plan. <\/span>Attend a public hearing in Augusta<\/a><\/span> on Wednesday, March 7 and submit a public comment<\/a><\/span> before the March 9 deadline<\/span><\/b>.<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″]<\/p>\n

Environmental Issues Working Group<\/a> C2A<\/strong><\/p>\n

THE ISSUE<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Trump administration released a draft proposal<\/a>\u00a0to open more than 90% of the outer continental shelf (OCS) <\/a>to oil and gas exploration. Currently, drilling is allowed only on 6% of the OCS, which encompasses all submerged lands off the U.S. coast that fall outside states\u2019 jurisdiction. The move has been widely criticized by environmentalists and leaders in coastal states, including all four of Maine\u2019s Congressional delegation<\/a>. Environmentalists cite the devastation of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, which pumped 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. According to the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM)<\/a>, opening Maine\u2019s coastal waters to drilling and the risk of a similar disaster could devastate aquaculture, seafood, and tourism industries in Maine, as well as businesses in coastal communities\u2014and all for little gain. The Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast <\/a>says more than 41,000 businesses oppose the plan. Gov. Paul LePage (R) has not issued a statement on the new proposal but is the only New England governor who has supported expanded offshore drilling in the past<\/a>. Reps. Pingree and Poliquin and Sens. Collins and King have co-sponsored H.R.4774\u00a0<\/a>and S.2298<\/a>, legislation that would ban oil and gas leasing<\/a> on the OCS off the coast of New England. And on March 1, the Maine Legislature unanimously approved a resolution<\/a> calling on the Trump administration exclude Maine and the state’s offshore areas<\/a> from its proposal to open coastal waters to offshore drilling.\u00a0\u201cPublic hearings\u201d scheduled by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, including one in Maine on Jan. 22, offered no opportunity for the public to share concerns in a true public forum. Working with a coalition of environmental and consumer groups, NRCM will hold an actual public forum at the same time as the BOEM event on Wednesday, March 7<\/a>, giving Mainers a platform and microphone to share comments, which will be recorded and submitted into the official record.<\/p>\n

THE ACTION<\/span><\/h4>\n