[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 11 (Thursday, January 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H484-H485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS DRILLING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Maine (Ms. Pingree) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong opposition 
to the Trump administration's proposal to lift a decades-old ban on 
offshore oil and gas drilling on our country's Atlantic and Pacific 
Coasts.
  This proposal has to be one of the most irresponsible actions of the 
Trump administration. Currently, 94 percent of the Outer Continental 
Shelf is off limits to drilling, and rightly so, given the importance 
of protecting the economic and cultural value of the country's 
coastlines.
  The Trump administration has offered a staggering reversal, proposing 
to open up over 90 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf to oil and 
gas drilling. While Governors and lawmakers from both parties have 
risen to voice their opposition to this plan, this administration is 
moving forward at a breakneck speed. It has given a mere 60 days for 
the public to comment. In my home State of Maine, which has much to 
lose from this plan, we don't even get a full public hearing.
  This proposal's lack of transparency and fairness couldn't have been 
more apparent than when Governor Rick Scott of Florida somehow earned 
an exemption for his State. Everyone can see that this was less about 
protecting Florida's pristine beaches and coastline, as Governor Scott 
said, than a political favor from President Trump.
  Mr. Speaker, I absolutely have nothing against the Florida coast. But 
the State shouldn't have to be home to Mar-a-Lago to earn an exemption 
from this awful plan. All coastal States deserve this protection.
  My home State of Maine is one of them. If you measured every inch of 
our State's jagged coastline and islands, it would measure an 
incredible 3,500 miles. Those miles include some of the most beautiful 
places in the world and critical habitat for hundreds of species of 
fish and wildlife.
  That coast is also dotted with dozens of small towns filled with 
hardworking people who depend on a beautiful, healthy ocean to make 
their living.
  Two of my State's largest industries are tourism and fishing. Tourism 
in Maine is a $5.6 billion industry, 71 percent of which comes directly 
in from the Maine coast. Millions of people visit our State to 
experience our beautiful coastline, snug harbors, and stunning 
landmarks, like the Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde.
  Our fishing industry and businesses that support it have even more to 
lose from this proposal. Thirty thousand Mainers make their living in 
marine industries. They include boat builders, ground fishermen, 
clammers, seaweed harvesters, oyster and mussel farmers, and, of 
course, lobstermen.
  Our world-famous lobster fishing industry alone brings in $500 
million annually. I have had so many discussions with the lobster 
fishermen who tell me about all the difficulties their industry already 
faces. They want to pass their businesses on to their sons and 
daughters, but they worry about the future.
  Will the Gulf of Maine, which is already warming faster than 99.9 
percent

[[Page H485]]

of the world's ocean waters, remain prime habitat for lobster? Will 
ocean acidification harm the lobster population and shellfish in ways 
we don't already know about yet?
  Do we really need to add the potential of an oil spill to the list of 
things that already keep them up at night?
  In Maine, we know the risk because we have seen the consequences. In 
1996, a tanker named the Julie N. spilled about 200,000 gallons of 
heating oil in Maine's Casco Bay. It cost over $40 million to clean up 
and it caused lobster prices to plummet.

  About 200,000 gallons of spilled oil is a drop in the bucket when you 
talk about the spilled oil from the Deepwater Horizon, which spilled 
200 million gallons into the Gulf of Mexico. The result on the marine 
environment was devastating. Shrimp, crab, oyster, and other fisheries 
in those States may never fully recover.
  The risks of this proposal to my State and others are simply too 
great. And for what? Our Nation is already the top producer of oil and 
gas in the world, and with fuel prices currently low, this proposal 
would not boost the economy.
  If this administration is really worried about remaining 
internationally competitive in the energy market, it should throw its 
support behind developing alternative energy sources instead of 
abandoning them.
  This proposal is unacceptable and irresponsible. I will continue to 
fight back against the environmental and economic harm it threatens for 
Maine and the Nation. I am proud to cosponsor legislation with my 
colleagues in New England to prohibit drilling off our States, and 
another bill to keep the drilling ban in place entirely along the 
Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. I encourage all my colleagues to do the 
same and to stop this terrible plan before it is too late.

                          ____________________