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Asbury Park Mayor Myra Campbell and Councilman John Moor stood in solidarity with U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and Congressman Frank Pallone on the Asbury Park boardwalk Wednesday as the two denounced offshore oil and gas drilling and seismic testing along the Atlantic coastline.

Pallone and Menendez stressed the environmental and economic consequences of an oil spill near the Jersey Shore would be catastrophic.

Pallone and Menendez successfully fought against oil and gas drilling proposed by the Obama administration that would have taken place 100 miles off the coast of Cape May four years ago, Menendez said.

Now, it is time for them to raise their voices again.

Last month, the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management [BOEM] announced the first steps in the development of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf [OCS] Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which include a request for information and a 45-day public comment period.

The 2012-2017 plan does not allow for offshore oil and gas drilling along the Atlantic coastline.

The House of Representatives recently passed legislation that would make the Atlantic coastline from Main to Florida open for drilling, but it won’t pass the Senate, Menendez said.

“As we get ready for the July 4th weekend with everyone headed to our beaches, BOEM is looking to develop their next plan, which could include drilling off our coast and the mid-Atlantic,” said N.J. Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel.  “The last thing New Jersey needs after Hurricane Sandy recovery is an oil spill. The only oil we want on our beaches is suntan oil.”

According to Menendez, the only people that benefit from the “drill baby drill” strategy, a slogan first uttered by former Maryland Lieutenant Governoe Michael Steele that emerged out of the 2008 Republican National Convention, are big oil companies.

The real answer to securing sustainable energy is renewables, Pallone said as he referenced studies that show domestic oil production is at a 25 year high and that more drilling does not equal lower gas prices. In addition, seeing firsthand what kind of damage was done to the Gulf coast in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill only underscores arguments against offshore drilling.

Marilyn Schlossbach, who owns several businesses in the Second Avenue Pavilion, said her restaurants are still getting back on their feet after having suffered significant damage from Hurricane Sandy, and the prospect of offshore drilling only adds another threat to the shore economy.

“We can’t keep using the ocean as a dumping ground for  solutions for the future — it’s not going to work,” Schlossbach said.

“We hope very much that there is not offshore drilling on the Jersey Shore,” said Campbell.

Pallone Monday released a statement in response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration approval of the Incidental Harassment Authorization [IHA] for seismic airgun testing in the Atlantic Ocean conducted by Rutgers University and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.  The authorization allows for the behavioral harassment of marine mammals by sound during the seismic survey.

Both Pallone and Menendez reject the notion that the survey is being conducted in the name of science for information about climate change and sea levels, and instead believe the information collected will show where deep oil pockets exist to be mined by big oil companies.

“This seismic blasting in the Atlantic Ocean is extremely hazardous to marine mammals and can disrupt migration patterns and fish spawning,” Pallone said in the statement.  “The New Jersey coastal economy is still rebounding from the effects of Superstorm Sandy and our fisheries cannot afford to take a hit this summer.  NOAA’s approval of this ocean blasting comes at the worst time for the Jersey Shore.”

Pallone has stated that seismic surveying can injure or kill fish and marine mammals and puts at risk endangered species, such as the North Atlantic right whale.  He has also raised concerns that the seismic surveying results could be used in the pursuit of opening up areas off New Jersey’s coast for oil and gas exploration.

Pallone and Menendez along with Sen. Cory Booker sent a joint letter to President Obama Wednesday urging him to “strongly oppose” efforts that would expand offshore drilling for oil and gas and put New Jersey’s coastal communities in jeopardy. Click here to read the full text of the letter. 

The real answer to securing sustainable energy is renewables, Pallone said, stressing domestic oil production is at a 25 year high and that more drilling does not equal lower gas prices.

Citizens can voice their opinions on offshore oil and gas drilling and seismic testing at regulations.gov. 

[Photo at top, from left to right: U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez; Mayor Myra Campbell; Congressman Frank Pallone; Councilman John Moor; Jeff Tittel, N.J. Sierra Club director.]

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