US Allows Atlantic Oil, Gas Drilling Despite Environmental Concerns

The US Department of the Interior allowed for oil and natural gas drilling leases in Mid- and Southern Atlantic offshore areas, in spite of fears that it will affect the environment.

MOSCOW, January 28 (Sputnik) — Areas off the coasts of Virginia and Georgia, as well as North and South Carolina, could see the erection of drilling platforms and pipelines as part of the US Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022, the US Department of the Interior said Tuesday.

Other potential lease sales mentioned in the proposal include expanded areas of the Gulf of Mexico.

At the same time, President Barack Obama moved to block new oil and gas drilling on 9.8 million acres in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off Alaska's coast in order to protect wildlife.

"The safe and responsible development of our nation's domestic energy resources is a key part of the President's efforts to support American jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil," Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said, in a statement.

Jewell stated that ultimately the lease may not include all the areas mentioned in the proposal, and that once more data is gathered, the area is likely to be narrowed, CBS News reported.

Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) lauded the new proposal, branding it a "step in right direction."

"With a proven record of offshore production that can be done safely and responsibly, IPAA has long advocated for opening access to all areas of the OCS [Outer Continental Shelf]," IPAA's Tuesday statement read.

South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley stated the government's move was "encouraging," Bloomberg reported. "Exploring for energy off the coast is critical economic development issue," Haley said.

However, several senators slammed the proposal, citing environmental concerns.

"I am absolutely opposed to the offshore drilling and always will be," US Senator for Maryland Barbara Mikulski said, in a statement. She explained that drilling offshore has been proved to devastate the environment, wreak havoc on coastal communities and harm the coastline.

"Offshore oil spills don't respect state boundaries. A spill off the coast of North Carolina could affect Massachusetts. We saw what happened after the BP oil spill," Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey said, in a statement.

The US Senator Bob Menendez called drilling in the Atlantic a risk.

Several senators opposing the new proposition made mention of the BP oil spill, the largest spill in history. For almost five months in 2010, approximately 4.9 million of barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of an explosion on the BP-chartered Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Hundreds of square miles of water and seafloor were contaminated, leading to massive wildlife death and habitat destruction along hundreds of miles of the US coast, from Louisiana to Florida.