Rhode Island Attorney General: Offshore Drilling Puts Coastal Economies At Risk

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin is urging the U.S. Interior Department to terminate a plan that would allow oil and gas drilling off the coast.

The proposal for the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which would be in effect from 2019-2024, would open up more than 90 percent of coastal waters for business.

The plan includes 47 potential lease sales, two of which are in the North Atlantic. There have been no sales in the Atlantic Ocean since 1983 and there are no existing leases, according to the U.S. Interior Department.

Kilmartin signed a letter along with 11 other attorneys general from coastal states that was sent to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday.

Read more: http://ripr.org/post/ri-attorney-general-offshore-drilling-puts-coastal-economies-risk