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Multistate Coalition Urges Federal Government to Exclude Atlantic and Pacific
Coasts from Drilling Program
BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G, Brown today led a
coalition of 10 attorneys general in filing comments with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management opposing offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The coalition is asking the federal government to exclude all planning areas in the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans from the upcoming 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing
Program. The final program will determine which ocean areas could be opened to lease sales for
oil and gas activity over the next five-year planning period.
“Offshore drilling threatens the Chesapeake and marine ecosystems that Marylanders rely on
daily. We refuse to gamble with our environment and livelihoods,” said Attorney General
Brown. “Attorneys general across the nation stand united to keep these operations away from
our shores.”
Maryland’s coastal and marine resources are vital to the state’s economy and way of life. The
Chesapeake Bay alone produces 500 million pounds of seafood each year and generates about
$100 billion in economic value annually. The sunny beaches of Ocean City and Assateague
Island attract millions of tourists each year, and the Port of Baltimore supports over 50,000 jobs.
There is no compelling need to risk our marine and coastal resources for the limited supplies of
fossil fuels off of our coasts. The United States already produces more oil and gas than any other
country and exports more than it uses. Demand for gasoline has been dropping since 2019,
especially on the East and West coasts. The small amount of oil and gas that could be recovered
off Maryland’s coast would not significantly help meet national energy needs but a spill in
waters off of any of our states would devastate regional economies.
As the comment letter states: “Existing uses of these marine and coastal areas are essential parts
of our state economies, national energy needs do not require drilling in these environmentally important areas, and drilling would be inconsistent with laws passed by our state opposing
offshore oil and gas activity and promoting reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”
The coalition’s comment letter details the devastating impacts of past oil spills, including the
Deepwater Horizon disaster that killed 11 workers, spilled 134 million gallons of oil into the
Gulf of Mexico and caused billions of dollars of losses to fishing and tourism industries along
the Gulf as well as oil spills in California that resulted in massive losses of wildlife and harm to
local fisheries.
Many of the coalition states, including Maryland, have their own laws prohibiting offshore
drilling in state waters or holding drilling companies strictly liable for spills. Offshore drilling
would conflict with Maryland's clean energy laws. The state has committed to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2045. Maryland
also passed the Offshore Drilling Liability Act in 2018, which makes offshore drilling companies
strictly liable for any oil spills.
Joining Attorney General Brown in submitting these comments are the attorneys general of
California, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and
Washington.
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