National Ocean Industries Association Responds to Administration’s Offshore Drilling Decisions

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 27, 2010

Contact:  Nicolette Nye (202) 347-6900 

 

National Ocean Industries Association Responds to Administration’s Offshore Drilling Decisions

 

WashingtonThe National Ocean Industries Association issued the following statement regarding the Administration’s announcement today regarding offshore drilling in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and Virginia.   

 

It is still too early to accurately predict the full effect of this terrible accident in the Gulf of Mexico, but tough lessons are being taught and tough lessons will be learned by everyone. Industry will take these hard-learned lessons and use them to make exploration and development of offshore energy safer and cleaner.   

 

The worst end result of these tough lessons, however, would be that the U.S. becomes more dependent on foreign oil.  Today’s announcement by the White House seems to push us in that direction.

 

Lease sales occur long before actual exploration and possible production.  In the interval, plans must go through a review and approval process 

 

Cancelling lease sales now without having the full benefit of what actually caused the accident in the Gulf of Mexico may be premature.  In addition, limiting opportunities for domestic production will lead to other countries filling our energy void, making America more dependent on foreign oil being transported by foreign tankers. U.S. jobs and revenue for our state and Federal governments will also be lost.  

 

The offshore industry is responsible for nearly 200,000 jobs in the Gulf of Mexico alone, and provides 30 percent of our nation’s domestic oil production and 11 percent of our domestic gas production.  Offshore oil and gas production accounts for an average $13 billion a year in non-tax revenues to states and the Federal government and has made over $24 billion available to the Land and Water Conservation Fund over the last 28 years. At a time when the spill is already causing economic stress in the region, we must be careful not make things worse.

 

The need to act in the face of the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico is understandable, but we should ensure our actions today don’t lead to greater problems for the nation down the road.

 

###

 

NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf.  The NOIA membership comprises more than 250 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance.

 

 

National Ocean Industries Association
1120 G Street, NW • Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005

Phone: 202.347.6900 | Email: media@nullnoia.org