Tom MacArthur : Congressman MacArthur Speaks with Secretary Zinke about Oil Drilling off NJ’s Coast

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, Congressman Tom MacArthur spoke directly with Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke about the Department of the Interior's Draft Proposed Plan and expressed his opposition to oil drilling off of New Jersey's coast.

'I have been, and remain opposed to oil drilling off the New Jersey coast because of the potential threat to the environment and the Jersey Shore's tourism and fishing industries. Secretary Zinke has been a trusted friend and colleague - we served together on both the House Natural Resources and Armed Services Committees - and he assured me of continued communication and transparency surrounding the Department of the Interior's Draft Proposed Plan. The Secretary also reiterated his promise that stakeholders, including elected officials, local businesses, and fishing industry-related groups would be consulted on this issue. I appreciate Secretary Zinke's friendship and the time he took to discuss this with me. I genuinely believe that we can work together to protect our environment and our shore economy from the dangers posed by drilling for oil off New Jersey's coast.'

On Background:

You can click here to read the DPP, which was recently released by the United States Department of the Interior. Please note below from the report:

Release of the DPP is an early step in a multi-year process to develop a final National OCS Program for 2019-2024. Today's draft proposal was informed by approximately 816,000 comments from a wide variety of stakeholders, including state governments, federal agencies, public interest groups, industry, and the public. Before the program is finalized, the public will have additional opportunities to provide input. The 2017-2022 Five Year Program will continue to be implemented until the new National OCS Program is approved.