Menendez, Booker, Pallone Applaud Major Step to Protect Jersey Shore from Offshore Drilling

Press Release

U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, and Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (N.J.-06) today applauded President Obama for heeding their call to take steps to further protect the Jersey Shore from offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. President Obama exercised his authority to permanently ban offshore drilling in deep water canyons from Virginia to New England, including off the New Jersey coast, and in much of the Arctic Ocean.

"The families and businesses who depend on a thriving Jersey Shore and clean Atlantic Ocean took an important step forward with the President's decision to permanently ban drilling in parts of the Atlantic. Today, we celebrate a milestone in our fight to protect the Jersey Shore, but acknowledge that our work is not yet done," said Sen. Menendez. "In my first month as a United States senator in 2006, I introduced legislation to permanently ban drilling in the Atlantic. Over the last ten years, I've been proud to stand with New Jerseyans time and again as we stood up to Big Oil--against all political odds. I will never stop fighting until we fully protect our shores and secure an economic and environmental legacy for generations to come."

"New Jerseyans stood united in calling for the protection of the Atlantic Ocean and this announcement marks an important step in that fight," said Sen. Booker. "I applaud President Obama for answering calls to permanently protect vulnerable waters in the Atlantic and the Arctic oceans from the potential devastating effects of a catastrophic oil spill. We must now stand ready to fight any efforts by the incoming administration to undermine these historic protections for our environment, our economy and our coastal communities."

"I applaud President Obama for taking an important step to protect the Jersey Shore and the coastal communities that rely on it by withdrawing 5,990 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean from future drilling," said Pallone. "Oil spills don't respect state borders. The fact remains that opening up the Atlantic Ocean for fossil fuel development is unnecessary, poses a serious threat to our coastal communities, and is the wrong approach. I remain convinced that the only way to ensure that New Jersey is not the victim of a devastating oil spill is to place a permanent ban on offshore drilling anywhere in the Atlantic. An oil spill along the Atlantic Coast would cause severe environmental damage to fisheries, beaches and wildlife. President-elect Trump's appointments to the EPA and the Department of Energy clearly show that his administration will pursue shortsighted and reckless policies for our environment and I will fight any effort by his administration to open up drilling in the Atlantic."

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