The Obama Administration last week produced an uproar with its release of an offshore management plan that would open part of the Atlantic to drilling. This week in CIB.
Washington Watch: Administration Plan Would Open Atlantic Area to Drilling
Atlantic coastal conservation advocates cried foul last week after the release of a draft new offshore management plan that would open part of the Atlantic to drilling. The move came as part of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) draft new five-year plan for management of outer continental shelf (OCS) energy resources.
The draft plan appeared to reflect an effort at political and management compromise between opponents and proponents of offshore drilling. It included significant new limits on Arctic drilling while also including what would be the first leasing in over 30 years for the United States’ OCS off the Atlantic coast. The proposed new Atlantic area to be opened to exploration would stretch from Virginia to Georgia.
The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) released a statement calling drilling off the Mid/South Atlantic coast a threat to barrier islands, marsh ecosystems and wetlands, as well as to “the economic livelihood of the coastal communities that rely on healthy waters and clean beaches to support local tourism and fishing industries.” It called for public comments insisting that the Atlantic leasing be removed from the BOEM plan.
The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) declared that they “strongly oppose the plan’s expansion of risky drilling to the Atlantic coast, which threatens the region’s fisheries, beaches, and tourism economies with a devastating oil spill. Our energy policy needs to focus on a transition to clean energy that creates jobs and embraces our moral obligation to address climate change.”
The ocean conservation group Oceana similarly condemned the Atlantic leasing proposal, saying that it could “destroy our coastal economies for decades to come”.
BOEM’s website provides information on the comment process, here.
One public meeting is currently scheduled for North Carolina on the proposed lease areas: Tuesday, February 17, 3-7 p.m., near Wilmington at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach. Find directions and more information about the meetings here.
Don’t forget that BOEM is also now still taking public comments on its Environmental Assessment for offshore wind development off the North Carolina coast, in three public meetings February 9, 11, and 12. See details here. Unlike offshore drilling, well-planned and -sited offshore wind energy development is supported by most of the conservation community.
Climate Change Update: Dealing with India
Following up on its big announcement last year of a climate action agreement with China, the Obama Administration last week announced results from its more recent discussions with India. (China, the United States, and India—in that order—are now the world’s first, second, and third-largest emitters of greenhouse gases.)
The new U.S.-India agreement calls for bilateral cooperation on reducing Indian emissions of fluorinated gases, and the enhancement of clean energy investment in India. The latter element includes continued commitment to development of a joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center, and extended funding for research on advanced biofuels, solar, energy efficiency, smart grid and grid storage technology. Unlike the U.S.-China deal, the India agreement does not include a commitment to cap Indian carbon emissions. However, even the limited agreements appear to advance efforts to prepare for a new global pact this fall. (The Climate Post, 1/29/15.)
Legislative Watch: ALEC Slithering in the Branches; Climate Denier Caucus; Speaker Names Committees
ALEC Slithering in the Branches: Conservationists around the nation are cautioned to be on the lookout for a new push for legislation attacking sustainable energy development at the state level this year. ALEC (the anti-environmental American Legislative Exchange Council) is reported to be pushing for state bills that would interfere with the submission of state carbon emission reduction action plans. (Those are plans that would be required under EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan.) ALEC approved one model bill for dissemination to its members and allies that would require a state’s legislature to approve the action plan before it could be submitted to the EPA. Another model bill which was not formally approved, but is expected to be circulated anyway, bans submission of a state’s plan until all legal challenges to the Clean Power Plan are resolved.
Climate Denier Caucus: The Center for American Progress Action Fund has released state by state summaries of what it calls the “Anti-Science Climate Denier Caucus” of the 114th Congress. Its North Carolina summary lists both U.S. Senators and six House members among those with this “caucus” membership of dubious distinction. For the full discussion, see here.
Speaker Names Committees: N.C. House of Representatives Speaker Tim Moore last week announced his selections for House committee leaders and members. Included are the committees on Environment, Wildlife Resources, and Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources. Representatives Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) and Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson) are vice chairs of the Environment Committee. All the House committee appointments can be found here.
That’s our report for this week.
