Miss. Senators Ask Interior Dept. to Drop Proposed Offshore Rule

Statement

U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today said the lack of evidence that offshore energy production adversely affects onshore air quality should prompt the withdrawal of a proposed new federal rule on offshore activities.

Cochran and Wicker are among 17 Senators who have signed a letter asking Interior Secretary Sally Jewel to withdraw the "Air Quality Control, Reporting, and Compliance" rule proposed by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

"This rulemaking amounts to creating a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. The administration's eagerness to impose new regulations before the end of the year should not undermine facts and basic fairness to states that produce offshore energy," said Cochran, who serves on the Senate appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Interior Department.

"This proposed rule is unnecessary," Wicker said. "The agency has already proved that this regulation would not make a significant impact on making inland air cleaner. This is a solution in search of a problem. It is clear that regulatory action is not scientifically justified."

Source