In his letter, Mullin discusses oil and gas exploration on the continental shelf and Congressman Tom MacArthur’s stance.
In the Aug. 16 Philadelphia Inquirer story, “New fight to stop oil, gas drilling off Jersey Shore,” I learned that the Trump administration just closed the comment period for a new program covering oil and gas exploration on the continental shelf.
Several members of New Jersey’s Congressional delegation have written to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in opposition to the plan, including both U.S. Senators, Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, Representatives Frank Pallone, Albio Sires, Donald Norcross and Bill Pascrell, Jr. Thank you, gentlemen.
Their letter said: “The reopening of this process not only endangers New Jersey’s coastal economy, but it ignores the local communities that would be most impacted by oil drilling — including over 120 municipalities, 41,000 businesses, and 500,000 fishing families from up and down the coast who have already voiced their opposition to oil and gas activities.”
I wondered why my Congressman Tom MacArthur wasn’t mentioned. His district covers all of Long Beach Island, and he has a home there. I searched his website looking for his position. Nothing. I called his district office and his D.C. one, but I got no answers.
Then I remembered that Tom had sponsored the National Energy Security Corridors Act H.R. 2295. If passed, it will create “Energy Corridors” on all federal and national Park lands giving natural gas pipelines “right-of-way.”
It is not a great leap from allowing gas and oil drilling on federal lands and allowing it off the Atlantic coast. I don’t think we need to give Tom the benefit of the doubt on this.
MacArthur will do the bidding of offshore drilling interests — on that you can be sure. He may not be the point man, but he will not move a finger to stop it either.
James Mullin
