Bill would protect ocean and coastal resources responsible for over $17.5 billion annually in the region
Washington, DC – On Earth Day, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is leading a bipartisan group of New England Senators in announcing the introduction of legislation to bar offshore drilling along the New England coast. The New England Coastal Protection Act is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Congressman Seth Magaziner (D-RI) introduced companion legislation in the House.
“Offshore drilling would enrich the fossil fuel industry at the expense of the Ocean State’s coastal economy and the health of our Narragansett Bay,” said Whitehouse, who originally introduced the legislation during the first Trump administration. “With President Trump scrambling to grant the looters and polluters swarming around his administration every item on their wish list, I’m committed to doing everything in my power to stop reckless oil and gas drilling off Rhode Island’s coast.”
“The waters off Maine’s coast provide a healthy ecosystem for our fisheries and are an integral part of our tourism industry, supporting thousands of jobs and generating billions of dollars in revenue each year,” said Collins. “Offshore drilling along the coast could impact Mainers of all walks of life for generations, which is why I join my colleagues in introducing this legislation to ban offshore drilling on the New England coastline.”
“Coastal drilling has led to some of the worst natural disasters in modern history, and we cannot afford to risk harm to New Hampshire’s coastal communities,” said Hassan. “This bipartisan bill would ban offshore drilling in New Hampshire and throughout the region, and I’ll continue to speak out to make clear that our coast is off limits to offshore oil and natural gas extraction.”
“Maine’s fisheries and coastal communities rely on healthy, clean waters to support their livelihoods. Offshore oil drilling would pose an immense threat to this delicate ecosystem and the people it supports,” said King. “As we respond to global energy crises, we must work together to find practical, fiscally responsible clean energy solutions that can protect Maine communities and the Atlantic Ocean that do not rely on offshore drilling. This bipartisan effort would be a positive step forward to ensure we continue to protect the Gulf of Maine and all the communities that rely on its bountiful, yet fragile, ecosystem.”
“We must do everything in our power to protect New England’s coasts and waters from the dangers of offshore drilling,” said Markey. “As the Bay State, we will not allow Massachusetts coasts to be destroyed by Donald Trump’s reckless mission to ‘drill baby drill.’ We refuse to stand by as the President and his Big Oil buddies destroy our environment, disrupt our waters, and make consumers pay for their pollution. It’s time to say goodbye to the Oil-igarchy.”
“Offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean poses tremendous risks for the Ocean State’s environment and economy. This legislation is about protecting critical natural resources and the livelihoods of New Englanders in countless industries who rely on a clean, healthy Atlantic Ocean,” said Reed.
“New Hampshire’s eighteen miles of coastline are home to families, small businesses that power our economy and cherished wildlife – all of which would be severely threatened by harmful offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean,” said Shaheen. “As President Trump eyes opportunities to expand offshore drilling, which has led to disastrous oil spills that cause economic and environmental devastation, New England’s bipartisan delegation is introducing legislation to help safeguard of our communities, local economies and way of life.”
“Rhode Islanders take pride in being the Ocean State, and in our clean waterways that support good jobs and quality of life,” said Magaziner. “The New England Coastal Protection Act will help safeguard our environment by preventing new offshore drilling that would threaten the coastline that is so essential to our state.”
According to NOAA Fisheries, ocean and coastal industries, including tourism, fishing, and recreation, generate more than $17.5 billion in New England annually. Expanding drilling in the Atlantic would harm New England’s key industries, and significantly increase the chance of environmental disaster in the region.
