Offshore drilling: Hogan presses Interior Secretary Zinke to get Maryland exemption
Ben PensergaGov. Larry Hogan is keeping the heat on federal officials to get Maryland an exemption from proposed offshore drilling plans.
Hogan called Ryan Zinke, secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, to continue to talk about the matter, but no further correspondence was made, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Under the five-year plan introduced in January, the federal government would begin selling leases in 2020 in the Mid-Atlantic, an area extending from Delaware Bay south to the North Carolina-South Carolina border. One sale would take place that year followed by one sale each in 2022 and 2024.
Drilling would be allowed as close as 3 miles offshore.
The call to Zinke came after Hogan, along with several state governors in a bipartisan group, sent a joint letter recently opposing offshore drilling. Hogan has been joined from Delmarva by fellow governors John Carney in Delaware and Virginia's Ralph Northam in lobbying for their states.
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The push by the group of governors was made after officials from the Trump administration said Florida's waters would not be considered for drilling, prompting them to ask for exemptions for their states.
"Not only are ocean and oceanside resources at risk, but also nearby bays, estuaries, coastal communities, iconic natural areas, and ports," the letter dated Jan. 19 stated. "The irreversible impact on ecosystems including marine mammals, fish, sea turtles, and other aquatic life that inhabit the ocean offshore is gravely concerning, as is potential risk and harm to our state’s economies, our natural resources, our military installations, and our residents."
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The Trump administration's proposal for the drilling has also been met with strong opposition with Delmarva's U.S. senators.
On the local level, environmental groups and local officials such as Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan spoke out about the project early in January.
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