Environment America is the new home of U.S. PIRG’s environmental work.
Statement of Mike Gravitz, Oceans Advocate
The
U.S. House of Representatives narrowly voted to allow oil and gas
drilling off America’s coasts. The House passed the Deep Ocean Energy
Resources Act (H.R.4761), ending the 25 year bipartisan moratorium that
has kept in check expansion of offshore drilling. Having upheld the
moratorium in a May 18 vote on the FY 2007 Interior Appropriations
bill, the House reversed itself today. Oil and gas drilling threatens
to destroy a way of life in America’s coastal communities.
In May, the House rejected opening our coasts to natural gas drilling
as close as three miles offshore. Today’s bill could result in both gas
and oil drilling as close as three miles offshore if a state approves
of it. States would have to jump through multiple hoops every five
years to keep drilling 50 miles off their coast. In addition, the bill
drills a $3 billion hole in the federal treasury in the first ten years
by setting up a program for sharing oil and gas revenues with coastal
states if they approve drilling.
The bill offers no solutions to our country’s energy problems and
continues an emphasis on drilling rather than efficiency and new
renewable sources of energy.
Americans deserved better out of Energy Week. The public deserves real
solutions that use American technology and know how to save energy by
improving the gas mileage of our cars and SUVs and developing clean,
renewable energy. Congress should stop wasting energy finding more
handouts for Big Oil and start taking serious steps to make our cars
and trucks go farther on a gallon of gas.
We’re counting on the Senate to stop this repeated attack on America’s coasts.
U.S. PIRG is the national advocacy office for the state Public Interest
Research Groups. State PIRGs are non-profit, non-partisan public
interest advocacy organizations.
