Atlantic Senators Try to Kill Offshore Drilling

Cardin, senators say no to offshore drilling

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., joined other East Coast senators Wednesday to reintroduce the Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act on Earth Day in an effort to block offshore drilling in the Atlantic.
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Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said, "We're introducing the COAST Act to help protect our local economies, marine life, the health of our shore residents and to tell Big Oil that America's coastline is not for sale." Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said, "Not only no, but hell no to offshore drilling."

The legislation is being sponsored by the group of East Coast Democratic senators in opposition of the Obama administration's plans for offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, announced in January.

The administration's proposal would allow oil companies to lease areas off the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia for oil and gas drilling. These states have been designated as part of the nation's Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022.

I was shocked when the administration actually put East Coast waters up for possible oil exploration, and predicted the opposition to it from the strongly anti-energy Democrats. I'm pretty sure this won't go anywhere in a Republican Congress unless it's used as a bargaining chip, but I don't expect to see drilling along the Atlantic Coast anytime soon.