Ban On Offshore Drilling Approved By State Legislature: LaValle

NEW YORK STATE — Taking a strong stand to protect the environment, the New York State Legislature approved a ban on offshore drilling, said Senator Ken Lavalle, who co-sponsored the legislation prohibiting offshore oil and gas production.

As original lead sponsor of the legislation, LaValle said he was pleased that the bill was approved by both the Senate and Assembly.

"We have painstakingly worked to preserve and protect our pristine waters, and we certainly do not want to imperil all of our efforts to maintain clean water by allowing drilling off our shoreline. I request that the Governor sign the bill into law, so we can further protect our waters," LaValle said.

Specifically, he said, the bill would amend Environmental Conservation Law 23-1101 to prohibit the leasing of state-owned underwater coastal lands for oil and natural gas drilling and add new legislation to prevent the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of General Services from authorizing leases that would result in the increase of oil or natural gas production from federal waters.

In addition, LaValle said, the bill would amend the Transportation Corporations Law to restrict the powers of such corporations to develop pipelines associated with the delivery of natural gas or oil from the North Atlantic Planning Area.

For more than a year, environmental advocates and elected officials have raised their voices in opposition to President Donald Trump's administration's draft proposed program for offshore oil and gas leasing.

An executive order by President Trump, called the "America-First Offshore Energy Strategy," directed the Interior Secretary to review the five-year plan put in place by President Obama that bans drilling in parts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It also instructed the Commerce Secretary to refrain from designating or expanding marine monuments and sanctuaries and to review all those that have been named over the past 10 years.

The goal was to expand offshore drilling for natural gas and oil.

A packed hearing in the William H. Rogers Building in Hauppauge last year included scores who turned out to voice opposition.

New York State Assembly members hosted the hearing as an alternative to a public meeting to be convened by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in Albany — far from the coastal residents most likely to be on the front lines of an oil spill disaster, organizers said in a release.

According to opponents, the administration has proposed the "most sweeping drilling plan of any administration, ever, with virtually all federal waters off all coastal states at risk"; it calls for nine lease sales for the Atlantic region, stretching from the Florida Straits to Maine, protestors said.

Rich Schrader, New York Political Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, weighed in Tuesday: "New York is saying ‘no’ to the Trump administration’s reckless plan to expand oil drilling off our shores. From day one, Governor Andrew Cuomo vowed the state would do everything in its power to protect our coastal communities and marine life from this thoughtless gamble. Our leaders in Albany are keeping that promise. This sends a clear message that New York will defend our environment, protect our children’s future, and lead the clean energy economy forward.”

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment, agreed: "New Yorkers are united in saying 'no' to this risky, dangerous scheme that will turn our oceans over to the oil companies and jeopardize our climate, coastlines and communities. Oil and water do not mix. Oil spills do not respect state boundaries, therefore, an oil spill anywhere along the Atlantic Coast can impact our beaches, tourism, marine life, and our way of life."

The risks presented by offshore drilling are never confined to a local area, and far exceed any economic benefits, Esposito added.

Added Brian Langloss, New York campaign organizer for Oceana, in 2018: "After BP's 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion, oil polluted shorelines from Texas to Florida, devastating coastal economies and tourism, as well as severely impacting wildlife like birds, dolphins, and endangered whales for generations to come. An equivalent disaster in the Atlantic could coat beaches from Savannah to Boston. Oil spills don't respect state lines and New Yorkers need to speak out loudly against this rash and ill-informed plan to turn our beach towns into oil towns."

Rob DiGiovanni, founder and chief scientist of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, said that early on in his career, he was asked about the worst stranding he had ever seen, and he said it was those that could have been prevented.

"I worked with many organizations to respond to sea turtles affected by the BP oil spill, and saw firsthand the devastation of a preventable disaster. With the increased sightings of whales, dolphins, sharks and other marine life in the New York Bight, projects that once seemed to have a nominal impact on marine life could be significantly more detrimental today," he said.

Environmentalists added that even before drilling, the search for oil and gas deposits beneath the sea floor could wreak havoc on marine life and the jobs it supports.

Shay O'Reilly, organizing representative for the Sierra Club, added that under the leadership of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York is establishing itself as a national leader on offshore wind, creating thousands of family-wage jobs and reducing the population's reliance on fossil fuels.

"Opening our coast to offshore drilling threatens progress on climate action and economic development, and New Yorkers are united in opposition to this plan," O'Reilly added.

And, said Aaron Virgin, vice president of the Group for the East End: "Drill, baby, drill is truly a step backward for U.S. energy policy that will no doubt benefit a few financially while leading to irreparable harm of the planet."

Patch file photo by Lisa Finn.