Dems say hearing on Atlantic development is premature
Leading Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee said Congress should take steps to strengthen offshore drilling safety and require companies to develop existing oil and gas leases before holding a hearing tomorrow on exploration in the Atlantic Ocean.
Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the committee's ranking member, and Rush Holt of New Jersey, top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, said the hearing on seismic exploration in the Atlantic comes three years after President Obama's commission on the BP PLC oil spill issued a suite of safety recommendations to Congress, almost none of which have been passed.
"While we debate future oil production off of our eastern shore, multinational oil companies reaping record profits have [hoarded] nearly 30 million acres of leased federal lands," DeFazio said yesterday in a statement. "Why are the Republicans rushing to practically give away new leases in sensitive areas off our coast when oil companies refuse to develop the land they already have?"
Tomorrow's hearing will focus on advances in seismic surveying technology and what role they will play in the future of energy production in the Atlantic.
It comes shortly before the Obama administration is expected to authorize the first new seismic testing in the mid- and south Atlantic in decades, a move some industry proponents hope is a first step toward opening the region to leasing and drilling.
Environmental groups and many Democrats oppose the seismic plan, calling it a threat to marine wildlife and a gateway to full-bore development.
"We should be focused on passing critical reforms suggested by the commission, and encouraging the development of existing leases using the safest technology available to protect workers and the environment," DeFazio said.
Democratic staff yesterday sent a memo to reporters noting that the members of Obama's spill commission have given Congress letter grades of D+ and D over the past two years for failing to implement suggested reforms, including raising the spill liability cap, extending government deadlines for approving exploration plans and strengthening funding for offshore agencies.
Four committee Democrats -- DeFazio, Holt, Frank Pallone of New Jersey and Joe Garcia of Florida -- yesterday also sent a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's acting chief, Kathryn Sullivan, raising concerns that Interior is moving forward with seismic surveys in the Atlantic without fully understanding impacts on whales and fish.
"As oil companies continue to push the limits of technology, responsibility and safety, we need to understand the consequences of permitting their activities before we allow them to move ahead, rather than rubber stamping inadequate plans," the congressmen wrote.
The lawmakers asked for assurances that Interior will consult closely with NOAA on offshore drilling activities and that no new seismic activities be permitted until NOAA finalizes new acoustic guidelines for gauging how human-caused noise affects marine mammals.
Committee Republicans noted that former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Tommy Beaudreau and Jewell have all argued that collecting new seismic data in the Atlantic is important to inform future management decisions.
BOEM will soon begin deliberating whether to open the Atlantic to leasing beginning in 2017, a move that Republicans, some governors and industry groups enthusiastically support.
"This hearing is about science, American jobs and moving forward with a bipartisan commitment to a process started nearly five years ago," said committee spokeswoman Mallory Micetich. "We are using over 30-year-old data to judge our resources, and sound seismic data using the latest cutting-edge technologies is important to knowing what is the full potential of the Atlantic OCS [outer continental shelf]."
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