Senators introduce bill to ban seismic testing for oil, gas in Atlantic

A group of U.S. Senators recently introduced a bill to ban seismic airgun blasting for surveying offshore
oil and gas reserves in the North Atlantic, Mid Atlantic, South Atlantic and Straits of Florida.

U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-NJ), Bill Nelson,
(D-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ed Markey (D-MA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the bill, the Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act.

“We are introducing this commonsense legislation because we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our environment, and allowing big oil to use seismic blasting methods that are incredibly disruptive to marine life is a total abdication of that responsibility,” Menendez said.

President Trump issued an executive order in April supporting offshore drilling that called for the expediting of permits for seismic airgun blasting. Booker spoke out against this order and promised to fight the Administration’s efforts on offshore drilling.

“Offshore fossil fuel exploration of any kind in the Atlantic poses a direct and serious threat to New Jersey’s economy and environment,” Booker said. “My colleagues and I will do everything in our power to protect our coastal communities and those who work in our fishing industry from the potentially disastrous effects of seismic blasting. Our bill makes it clear that when it comes to offshore oil exploration of any kind, the Atlantic and our coasts are off limits.”