Congressman Sires Votes for Coastal Protection Legislation

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ), made the following statement regarding the House of Representatives passing coastal protection legislation:  

“Today the House finished voting on three bills: H.R. 1941, H.R. 205, and H.R. 1146. These bills would ban oil and gas drilling on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). I voted for the anti-coastal drilling bills because I don’t believe we need to threaten the marine ecosystems that support so many families in New Jersey for the sake of some oil company possibly making more money. Oil drilling and prospecting isn’t just disruptive to that marine wildlife – it’s dangerous. I would rather keep our shores free of oil rigs and seismic blasting than risk a spill that would hurt new Jersey’s economy and ecosystems more than it would hurt the oil company responsible. 

“I also voted for H.R. 1146, to ban oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, because that Wildlife Refuge is home to areas that have been mostly-undisturbed by human activity, which is something that is increasingly rare. The ANWR is public land which means it belongs to all of us – and I want it kept pristine for future generations of Americans and for the indigenous tribes that depend on that land.

“Americans today get to enjoy the bounty that comes from clean waters and vast natural lands because of the work done by the generations that came before us. We have a responsibility to ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren to protect these gifts and preserve them for the Americans who come after us.”