“NOIA supports the Administration’s decision to bring back, on a limited basis, dedicated Department of Interior employees to continue preparatory work for upcoming offshore oil and natural gas lease sales, which were approved and scheduled during the Obama administration. All offshore lease sales undergo rigorous environmental reviews, both during the planning process and again before each individual sale. While much of the work for the upcoming March sale in the Gulf of Mexico has already been completed, there are still t’s to be crossed and i’s to be dotted to ensure the public and the industry are properly notified. The offshore energy industry generates billions of dollars for the US and state treasuries, provides thousands of well-paying jobs in the U.S. and bolsters our national energy security. It makes both economic and energy sense to continue work on this long-planned and approved sale. We encourage Interior to also take steps to keep future offshore wind sales on track, particularly since the recent sale off the coast of Massachusetts proved to be so successful.”
The latest issue of Ocean News & Technology includes an editorial from Randall Luthi on page 8.
