President Trump orders reversal of ocean protections

WASHINGTON (April 28, 2017) – Today, President Trump signed an executive order targeting Obama administration protections from expanded offshore drilling for the Atlantic coast and Arctic Ocean. The order rescinds President Obama’s withdrawals of Arctic and Atlantic Ocean waters from oil and gas leasing, and requires Interior Secretary Zinke to revisit the entire federal offshore leasing plan which puts areas kept out of the existing plan at risk for potential development. Additionally, the order gives Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross 180 days to review national marine sanctuaries and monuments designated or expanded in the last decade by the Bush and Obama administrations. It further threatens to roll back protections for our oceans and marine wildlife by reconsidering several oil and gas regulations.

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement:

"This executive order is another effort to benefit big polluters at the expense of our natural heritage. It puts a target on marine wildlife, coastal communities and important tourism economies exposing more of them to the prospect of development and catastrophic oil spills. There are just some messes like Deepwater Horizon and the Exxon Valdez that are too big to clean up and that have long lasting impacts on coastal communities and marine life. The attempt to revoke President Obama’s withdrawal of certain Arctic and Atlantic waters from development is manifestly illegal. "The seismic testing that the Executive Order tries to fast track has devastating impacts on marine life particularly dolphins, porpoises and whales that use sonar to communicate and hunt for food. In a time when climate change already threatens the future of iconic species like the polar bear and walrus, vital ocean habitats and public lands in the Outer Continental Shelf should remain protected and clean energy solutions should be prioritized over the hunt for dirty fossil fuels in pristine waters.""This entire Executive Order is aimed at increasing the industrialization of our oceans and drags us backward to the outdated notion that short-lived profit for a few is worth spoiling and plundering our shared natural heritage."