Tag: offshore drilling

House approves two bills to block Trump drilling

The Hill logoThe House on Wednesday approved two bills that offer sweeping protections to the nation’s coastlines, permanently blocking offshore drilling on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and part of the Gulf of Mexico.

Another vote on legislation to block drilling in the Atlantic is set for Thursday as House Democrats seek to advance their environmental agenda.

“We’re striking back this week against the Trump administration and their agenda to drill everywhere, every time, with no exception,” House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said ahead of Wednesday’s votes.

View the complete September 11 article by Rebecca Beitsch on The Hill website here.

While you weren’t looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that aren’t about “shitholes”

The following article by A.P. Joyce was posted on the mic.com website January 12, 2018:

Credit: Shutterstock

This week the media was roiled by the revelation that the president of the United States argued against accepting immigrants from what he reportedly called “shithole countries” in Central America, Africa and the Caribbean, arguing instead for more immigrants from countries like Norway.

But as the nation struggled to define what constitutes overt white nationalism, Trump’s cabinet continued to make drastic policy changes that will affect millions of Americans. Here’s what you might have missed. Continue reading “While you weren’t looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that aren’t about “shitholes””

Decision to exempt Florida from offshore drilling prompts bipartisan uproar

The following article by David Weigel, Darryl Fears and John Wagner was posted on the Washington Post website January 10, 2018:

The governors of several coastal states reacted with alarm after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke granted Florida Governor Rick Scott a waiver on Jan. 9. (Reuters)

The Trump administration’s decision to exempt Florida from expanded offshore drilling kicked off a frenzy Wednesday in other coastal states, with governors from both political parties asking: Why not us?

“We cannot afford to take a chance with the beauty, the majesty and the economic value and vitality of our wonderful coastline,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), who backed President Trump in his state’s competitive 2016 primary, said in a statement. Continue reading “Decision to exempt Florida from offshore drilling prompts bipartisan uproar”

Trump’s offshore oil drilling plans ignore the lessons of BP Deepwater Horizon

The following article by Donald Boesch, Professor of Marine Science, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, was posted on the Conversation website January 5, 2018:

The Trump Administration is proposing to ease regulations that were adopted to make offshore oil and gas drilling operations safer after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. This event was the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Eleven workers died in the explosion and sinking of the oil rig, and more than 4 million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists have estimated that the spill caused more than US$17 billion in damages to natural resources.

I served on the bipartisan National Commission that investigated the causes of this epic blowout. We spent six months assessing what went wrong on the Deepwater Horizon and the effectiveness of the spill response, conducting our own investigations and hearing testimony from dozens of expert witnesses. Continue reading “Trump’s offshore oil drilling plans ignore the lessons of BP Deepwater Horizon”

Trump administration plan would widely expand drilling in U.S. continental waters

The following article by Darryl Fears was posted on the Washington Post website January 4, 2018:

Fire-boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the offshore Deepwater Horizon oil rig off Louisiana in 2010. (Coast Guard/Reuters)

The Trump administration unveiled a controversial proposalThursday to permit drilling in most U.S. continental-shelf waters, including protected areas of the Arctic and the Atlantic, where oil and gas exploration is opposed by governors from New Jersey to Florida, nearly a dozen attorneys general, more than 100 U.S. lawmakers and the Defense Department.

Under the proposal, only one of 26 planning areas in the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean would be off limits to oil and gas exploration, according to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. He said the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management has identified 47 potential areas where industry companies can buy leases between 2019 and 2024, when the proposed period would begin and end. Continue reading “Trump administration plan would widely expand drilling in U.S. continental waters”