Legislation would protect ocean and coastal resources that account for over $17.5 billion annually in the New England region.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King are cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to prohibit offshore drilling along the Maine coast, extending throughout the entirety of New England. The New England Coastal Protection Act would ban oil and gas leasing off the coast of Maine and in these protected areas.
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 pose potential harm to New England’s key industries and significantly increase the chance of environmental disaster in the region.
“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 Senator 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.”
“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 Senator 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.”
Senators Collins and King are joined on this legislation by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
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