Public Citizen Joins Texas Coalition Against Atlantic Ocean Drilling
Feb. 6, 2018
Public Citizen Joins Texas Coalition Against Atlantic Ocean Drilling
Statements of Public Citizen Experts
Note: U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has proposed opening huge portions of America’s waters to offshore oil and gas drilling. Today the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold one of two dozen hearings on the proposal in Austin, Texas, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton located at 5901 North IH-35 from 3 – 7 p.m. CST.from 3 – 7 p.m. CST.
“The proposal to open our outer continental shelf to new fossil fuel exploration and extraction – coinciding with the impending proposal to roll back post-BP Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling safety protections – is the latest reckless decision by an increasingly out of touch and irresponsible Trump administration.
“Expanding offshore oil drilling will not lower gasoline prices for consumers, and it will fail to make America energy independent, as U.S.-produced oil increasingly is exported out of the country. But expanding offshore drilling at the same time as eviscerating post-BP safety rules places workers and our coastal environments at risk. And because oil company liability for accidents remains capped at an absurdly low amount, taxpayers are on the hook for spill-associated costs. Producing more oil – and releasing greenhouse gas emissions when they are burned – at a time when markets are moving toward petroleum alternatives for transportation places our climate at risk.”
– Tyson Slocum, director, Public Citizen’s Energy Program
“This is not the time for fossil fuel drilling on the Texas coast. Residents are still in recovery from Hurricane Harvey, and almost eight years have passed since the Gulf of Mexico experienced the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Marine drilling is expensive, dangerous and unnecessary. Texas is enjoying an energy renaissance, and renewable sources including wind and solar are proving they can flourish in a competitive market. We should be investing in resiliency for our coastal residents, not drilling for oil. Let’s keep our oceans safe and depend on energy that is clean, affordable and available today.”
– Adrian Shelley, director, Public Citizen’s Texas Office