Back-door ban: States fight Trump drill plan with local bans

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Wayne Parry, Associated Press
Updated 3:07 pm, Monday, March 19, 2018

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Some coastal states opposed to President Donald Trump's plan to allow oil and gas drilling off most of the nation's coastline are fighting back with proposed state laws designed to thwart the proposal.

The drilling Trump proposes would take place in federal waters offshore in an area called the Outer Continental Shelf. But states control the 3 miles of ocean closest to shore and are proposing laws designed to make it difficult, or impossible, to bring the oil or gas ashore in their areas.

A look at the issue:

WHAT STATES ARE DOING

States including New Jersey, New York, California, South Carolina and Rhode Island have introduced bills prohibiting any infrastructure related to offshore oil or gas production from being built in or crossing their state waters. Washington state is threatening such a bill. Maryland has introduced a bill imposing strict liability on anyone who causes a spill while engaged in offshore drilling or oil or gas extraction.

"We started thinking about how we control the first three miles of ocean, and there are state rights that we have," said New Jersey state Sen. Jeff Van

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/science/article/Back-door-ban-States-fight-Trump-drill-plan-with-12764849.php

[lagomorph777]

1. Brilliant!

[lamp_shade]

2. I hope this works.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. people are addicted to clean

Few seem to want to go back to the days of burning rivers, beaches like sewers (and worse), and warnings that the young and elderly should stay under air conditioners.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. "there are state rights that we have"

The GOP hung their hats on the "states rights" provision (Article X of the U.S. Constitution) for so long that now it will be interesting to see how they respond when we do it.