HJR 2 - No Oil & Gas Drilling Off The NH Coast

HJR 2 - EXCLUDE OFFSHORE DRILLING FROM THE NH COAST

February 6th, 1 pm

Legislative Office Building, Room 206

(Rescheduled from 1/30/19)

HEARING

• Attend the hearing if possible.

• Send an email to the State/Federal Relations and Veteran Affairs Committee in support of this bill.

KEY POINTS

• Workers, water, sea life, the fishing industry and coastal

economies are at risk of blowouts, explosions, and disastrous spills

• Burning oil & gas (fossil fuels) contributes to increased CO2 levels that are causing climate change, warming our oceans, raising sea levels, threatening our communities and coasts and intensify dangerous extreme weather incidents.

• Threatens Costal Communities and Economies: Drilling off the Atlantic coast has been off the table since 1983. Tourism and recreation are major contributors to the Atlantic coast's economy and they rely on healthy oceans. In 2012, those two sectors alone generated $40 billion in the Mid- and South-Atlantic regions. Communities in these regions should not have to risk their way of life - or their economic health - due to reckless offshore drilling. *

• The BP Deepwater Horizon disaster showed us that spill impacts are both environmentally - and economically - devastating. Following thiat spill, President Obama established the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The Commission found that "the central lesson to be drawn from the catastrophe is that no less than an overhauling of both current industry practices and government oversight is now required." Yet there have been NO major revisions to the law to increase safety since that disaster. Offshore drilling results in oil spills. The risks exposed during the Gulf disaster make it clear we can't gamble with our Atlantic and Arctic oceans. *

• Contradicts Climate Science: The international scientific consensus dictates that if we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change, including health risks and severe weather, the vast majority of known fossil fuel reserves must remain undeveloped. This includes the oil and gas in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Illustrating this point, a report in the top scientific journal Nature specifically found developing Arctic Ocean oil and gas is incompatible with efforts to stay within our global carbon budget. *

• To avoid far more asthma attacks and respiratory disease, degraded air quality, and more frequent, costly, and deadly extreme weather events we must protect--not drill--the Arctic and Atlantic coasts. *

* NRDC

EMAIL

Patricia.Klee@leg.state.nh.us, Linda.Massimilla@leg.state.nh.us, Amanda.Bouldin@leg.state.nh.us, Latha.Mangipudi@leg.state.nh.us, Joyce.Fulweiler@leg.state.nh.us, Josh.Adjutant@leg.state.nh.us, Ryan.Buchanan@leg.state.nh.us, Fred.Davis@leg.state.nh.us, Israel.Piedra@leg.state.nh.us, Craig.Thompson@leg.state.nh.us, Anne.Warner@leg.state.nh.us, Al.Baldasaro@leg.state.nh.us, Qtipnh@aol.com, armlaw@hotmail.com, pkatsakiores@comcast.net, skip@lavalleys.com, richard.lascelles@leg.state.nh.us, Reed.Panasiti@leg.state.nh.us, Joel.Desilets@leg.state.nh.us, JP.Marzullo@leg.state.nh.us

https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?id=16

- - - - - - -

A RESOLUTION recommending and requesting the President of the United States and the United States Congress to exclude the state of New Hampshire from offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration activities.

SPONSORS: Rep. Cushing, Rock. 21; Rep. Janvrin, Rock. 37; Rep. Khan, Rock. 20; Rep. Loughman, Rock. 21; Rep. Bushway, Rock. 21; Rep. Maggiore, Rock. 22; Rep. Grote, Rock. 24; Rep. Le, Rock. 31; Sen. Sherman, Dist 24; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21

COMMITTEE: State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

Whereas, the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 2019-2024 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program includes federal waters off the coast of New Hampshire; and

Whereas, over 13,630 jobs and more than $1.4 billion of the New Hampshire's gross domestic product depend on clean, oil-free water and beaches and abundant fish and wildlife; and

Whereas, over 53 percent of the state's ocean-derived income stems from our tourism and recreation sector, contributing over $283,000,000 to the state's economy, and this economic sector benefits from and depends upon a healthy ocean and coast; and

Whereas, offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration activities place coastal communities at economic and ecological risk from oil spills and the pollution brought by routine drilling operations and onshore industrialization, threatening the quality of life and livelihoods of the state's citizens and important industries, such as tourism and recreation and commercial and recreational fishing, and small businesses that rely on a clean and healthy ocean and beaches; and

Whereas, the state of New Hampshire recognizes that its communities and industries depend on a healthy coastal environment for the benefit of current and future residents, property owners and visitors; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

That the general court of the state of New Hampshire believes that offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration risks our economic and ecological health and therefore opposes any plan or legislation that encourages oil and gas exploration offshore that would negatively affect the citizens of the state; and

That the general court of the state of New Hampshire respectfully requests that the President of the United States and the United States Congress direct the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to exclude the state and its offshore areas from the 2019-2024 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program; and

That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, to National Oil and Gas Leasing Program Development and Coordination Branch Chief Kelly Hammerle, to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and to each member of the New Hampshire congressional delegation.

http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/Results.aspx?q=1&txtbillnumber=HJR%202&txtsessionyear=2019

ON FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/events/583831205421450/