Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Once again, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is having a disastrous week. But this time it has nothing to do with his penchant for extravagant travel or his failure to be the outdoorsman he seeks to portray. No, this time Zinke is floundering because of his handling of -- or failure to handle -- the administration’s draft offshore drilling plan.
Just over a week ago, Zinke unveiled the draft five year offshore drilling plan, which would open nearly every corner of America’s waters to offshore drilling. The plan ignores the wishes of the communities that would be affected by the plan, not to mention the threats drilling would pose to local economies, the environment, and the climate. The plan was immediately rebuked by state and federal legislators on both sides of the aisle. However, of the 22 states affected by this plan, only one governor received Zinke’s attention: Florida’s Rick Scott. Immediately, Zinke announced he’d be removing Florida from the plan because he thinks Scott is a leader, Florida has a unique coastline, and its coasts are heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver -- something that can be said for every single state included in the plan.
Zinke’s about face one week ago was widely seen as political move made to aid Scott’s ambitions, and lawmakers have raised questions about whether exempting Florida from the plan with no rational basis just a few days after its release was a violation of federal law. After being flooded with calls from other coastal state governors to give them the same treatment as Florida, Zinke scrambled over the weekend to give the appearance of a fair process and contact other governors. During these calls, he’s already committed to traveling to California to meet with Governor Jerry Brown and says he will consider an exemption for Oregon.
If Zinke really wants to respect the wishes of coastal communities and legislators -- and to clean up the mess he’s made with this disastrous plan -- he will listen to the overwhelming, bipartisan consensus and protect all coastal states from the threat of offshore drilling.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.