Jonathon Berman, (202) 297-7533, jonathon.berman@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to review the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Oil and Gas leasing program. According to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, the process will take two years. Trump will also order a review of marine monuments and existing offshore drilling regulations including the blowout preventer rule, put into place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.
While Zinke failed to discuss it on a briefing call Thursday evening, the administration will explore undoing President Barack Obama’s permanent protection in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, and seek to open all of our waters to drilling.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“Donald Trump is apparently the only person who trusts Big Oil with our coasts, despite the fact they have failed over and over again. Trump wants to reverse permanent protections for the Arctic Ocean, opening it back up to drilling -- a position so unpopular that Zinke wouldn’t even share it with reporters last night -- but operations there were abandoned after repeated failed attempts. Trump wants to continue drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, despite the fact that it has repeatedly been treated as a sacrifice zone and seven years ago this week, oil spewed uncontrollably from the Deepwater Horizon platform, taking 11 lives and destroying wildlife, businesses, and communities. Not only that, he wants to do away with the blowout preventer rule put in place to help stop another Deepwater disaster from happening.
“No matter how much money it spends or how many lobbyists it places inside the Trump administration, Big Oil can never nor will never drown out the voices of millions of Americans across the country who speak out against dangerous offshore drilling. We will continue to speak out against offshore drilling and to protect our marine monuments from coast to coast, and this will only make our call louder on Saturday, as thousands upon thousands take to the streets of Washington, DC to march against Trump and his agenda.
“Just as he has throughout his 99 days in office, Donald Trump will fail in this attempt to destroy our beaches and coastal communities. The people have been heard and will continue to be heard.”
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