Trump offshore drilling plan frightens NJ business, environmentalists

Though the Exxon-Valdez is the namesake of oil spills, things have gotten worse. Check out the video above to learn more.

LONG BRANCH - Environmentalists and business advocates, who are often divided over issues affecting the Jersey Shore, joined together Tuesday to oppose the Trump administration's efforts to allow drilling for oil and gas in the Atlantic Ocean.

Standing on the Pier Village boardwalk overlooking a stretch of sand filled with sunbathers and beach umbrellas, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said New Jersey residents must continue to fight efforts to open this region to oil and gas exploration.

The issue has divided President Donald J. Trump's administration and politicians in coastal states.

Pallone said such activity would threaten $700 billion worth of coastal property in the Garden State and the half-million jobs that depend on a healthy tourism industry.

Last week, Pallone gathered support in Congress for a bill amendment that would block the Department of the Interior from using taxpayer money to conduct oil and gas leasing or related seismic testing in the Atlantic.

In January 2018, then-U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced a five-year plan to explore and develop oil and gas reserves offshore, citing economic need as well as the administration's commitment to improve America's dominance in international energy markets.

Among the leases included in his proposal were nine for sites in the Atlantic Ocean. Zinke resigned in 2019, spurred by threats of investigations and questions about his ethics.

This is a story meant to help readers understand the intersection of local environmental issues and national politics in New Jersey. Remember, we are committed to bringing you dependable, comprehensive coverage of news that affects you. Please subscribe to support our journalism.

Such drilling and seismic testing could hurt New Jersey's more than $2 billion commercial and recreational fishing industry, said state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe. In addition, New Jersey's shoreline is a major route for migrating marine animals, she said.

"Why would we put any of these beautiful places at risk, and put our economy at risk, for a little bit of oil and gas that might be found out there sometime," McCabe said at the boardwalk news conference.

Environmentalists said the risks of an oil spill, as well as harm to animals and fish caused by seismic testing used in exploration, are threats too great to tourism and the coastal ecosystem.

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"Protecting the ocean is our paramount goal and objective," said Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, which promotes the study and conservation of coastal ecosystems. 

Dillingham said the the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 shows how offshore oil and gas drilling can go horribly wrong. The spill led to billions of dollars in losses in the seafood industry and local economies, according to a report by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

"We want clean water," said Dillingham. "We want healthy and abundant fish and fisheries. We want the beauty and majesty of whales migrating past us a couple times a year, but most of all, we want it to be oil-free."

Frank Robinson, vice president of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, also put his support behind Pallone's efforts. Robinson said hundreds of thousands of workers' livelihoods depend on New Jersey's coastal jobs. 

"This is a very, very important issue to the business community," said Robinson. "It would be devastating if we had an oil spill here on the Jersey Shore, not only to the economy, but especially to the environment."

In April, Pallone wrote to new Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, asking him to abandon plans to drill in the Atlantic. The congressman said he was unsure whether the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate would get behind his bill amendment to block Atlantic Ocean drilling and testing. 

"We always are going to be fighting this battle," he said. 

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Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.