By Tricia Marchese
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced plans to ban offshore oil drilling in New York waters, as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s plans to open drilling off the California coast, and eventually the East Coast as well. Under the Obama administration, drilling in Alaskan waters, as well as the eastern Gulf of Mexico, was outlawed as a part of ongoing environmental protection policies.
According to the New York Times, Trump’s proposal would not only reverse these protections, but expand available drilling waters to 25 of the 26 U.S. coastal regions. This plan has caused much disruption among the leaders of coastal states, including Cuomo. Along with the governors of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia, he addressed a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. The letter detailed the possible negative impacts of the drilling plan, including damages to the tourist and fishing industries, as well as the environment. It also cited that over 200 local governments on the eastern seaboard have passed resolutions against offshore drilling.
However, because of pre-emption, a federal law supersedes any state or local laws, meaning all this legislation could be for naught if Trump’s proposal goes through. In response to this, Cuomo has said, “If they go to put a platform up or an exploration task force up, I am going to commission a citizen fleet from throughout this state to go out and interfere with their federal effort, just as Winston Churchill did in Dunkirk. If you think I’m kidding, I’m not. I’m going to lead that citizen fleet.”
Many students at Brooklyn Latin are already concerned with the quality of the water in the city, as it inevitably reaches our water bottles and drinking fountains. The consequences of offshore drilling could pose a risk to this safety as well.