Washington, D.C. April 27, 2017 – The following statement was issued by Janis Searles Jones, CEO of Ocean Conservancy, in reaction to the briefing by Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke in advance of the Executive Order Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy expected to be announced on Friday, April 28:

“This Executive Order doesn’t just threaten to lift the speed limit on offshore oil and gas development in the United States; it removes the seat belts, too.

“Opening up more of our coasts to offshore drilling is dangerous and short-sighted in and of itself; rolling back regulations and safeguards that protect our ocean and shorelines is even worse.

“This EO disenfranchises the more than one million Americans who asked for the removal of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans from the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. It also makes no business sense. Oil companies have pulled out of the Arctic – in part because of severe challenges with drilling in such a risky environment.

“For the second time this week, the Trump administration has decided to recklessly target some of our most special, iconic places in the United States. This Executive Order that is supposedly about energy independence takes aim at America’s marine monuments and sanctuaries, reviewing all marine monuments and sanctuaries established or expanded in the last 10 years. President George W. Bush was the first American president to establish a national marine monument. Conserving the special places in our ocean is not about a political party, it is about what we value as Americans.

“President Trump is scorching a path away from the past leaders of our country who sought to protect and preserve important natural, historical and cultural sites as a bipartisan priority.

“The first hundred days of this administration has shown us where their priorities lie – and it is not with the needs and wants of the American people or the future of our ocean.”

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Janis Searles Jones is available for comment upon request.

NOTE to editors:

Marine national monuments include World War II Valor in the Pacific (2009), Marianas Trench (2009), Rose Atoll (2009), Northeast Canyons and Seamounts (2016) and Papahānaumokuākea. (2016).

Safety measures that put offshore drilling under tighter regulations and tougher inspections to prevent disasters like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy will be up for review. Oil spills, especially in the Arctic environment, are virtually impossible to clean up.

Ocean Conservancy is working with you to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together, we create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit www.oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.