New Jersey Dems say explosion 'sober reminder' of hazards of offshore drilling

New Jersey’s two Democratic senators said the explosion on the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that left 11 workers missing and has raised pollution fears is a "sober reminder" of the hazards of offshore drilling.

“Big Oil has perpetuated a dangerous myth that coastline oil drilling is a completely safe endeavor, but accidents like this are a sober reminder just how far that is from the truth,” Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez said in a joint statement on Thursday.

The explosion follows the decision by the Obama administration to expand drilling in the Gulf and along the southeastern coastline. The Senate climate change legislation being drafted is also likely to call for expanded offshore drilling as well. 

Although the administration’s plan would not open areas off of New Jersey’s shore, Lautenberg and Menendez say drilling of the coasts of Mid-Atlantic states could create a spill that jeopardizes their state’s tourism industry.

“The bottom line is that when you drill for oil, there is always a risk that not only puts lives on the line, but a risk that puts miles of coastline and the economy on the line as well,” Lautenberg and Menendez said.

They added: “We plan to oppose any climate or energy legislation before the U.S. Senate that does not include significant safeguards for the Jersey Shore.”

The statements quote reports estimating the well is leaking 8,000 barrels of oil a day. Earlier, officials from BP, which owns the well, and the U.S. Coast Guard, however, said it wasn’t clear how much oil was still seeping into the Gulf.