We Can’t Risk Another Deepwater Horizon, and Shouldn’t Open Coasts for Drilling

WASHINGTON (June 13, 2014) —The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is beginning to develop its plan for leasing offshore parcels for oil and gas production for the five-year period that begins in mid-2017.

NRDC Senior Attorney and Oceans Program Director Sarah Chasis made the following statement:

“Congress has not implemented any meaningful measures since the Deepwater Horizon disaster to mitigate the dangers of offshore drilling. We can't afford another Deepwater Horizon disaster - in the Gulf of Mexico or anywhere else. We rely on our oceans heavily for fishing, shipping, renewable energy and the abundant recreational opportunities they provide. We need to protect our rich fisheries and ocean ecosystems, not open up areas in the Arctic Ocean or along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to drilling.”