I’m writing to express my concern regarding the five-year plan from the Trump administration to open our coasts and the Gulf to new offshore drilling.
It feels like a direct threat to our way of life here in Galveston and along the Texas coast.
The oil industry is already sitting on 8 million of acres of ocean leases it isn’t using.
We should hold the industry accountable to clean up the thousands of old, idle wells it already left behind, so we the taxpayers aren’t stuck with the bill.
Giving oil-industry companies more leases without enforcing proper decommissioning just feels like rewarding bad behavior.
There are people stating this is a jobs plan, but that is not correct information. The industry is producing record oil with fewer workers.
If those companies truly wanted to create good jobs, they would put people to work safely decommissioning the old wells, which is much needed for the health of people and the Gulf.
While expanding reckless drilling in the Gulf, the Trump administration is simultaneously rolling back the safety measures that were put in place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster to protect our waters, marine life and coastal communities from the destruction of oil spills, leaks, and other harms.
We love our coastline and want to protect it.
Join us by submitting comments against the current five-year lease plan for the Gulf by Friday and let the Department of Interior know we want the Gulf protected.
Just search for “Notice of Availability of the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program: 1st Analysis and Proposal MAA104000” and follow the link to the Federal Register.
Joanie Steinhaus is a part of Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Click here to see this piece on The Galveston Daily News’ website.
Blog header photo credit: Ron Ron Buskirk / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images.
