In a letter recently sent to Interior Sec. Sally Jewell, 163 U.S. House and Senate Members, led by Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, expressed their concerns with the 2017-2022 Draft Proposed OCS Leasing Program and conveyed an eagerness to work with the Obama Administration to set “a more aggressive schedule of sales in currently open areas” and “allow for the exploration of new areas,” such as the Atlantic and offshore Alaska.
According to the letter, “The 2017-2022 OCS Five Year Program must represent a significant departure from the existing moratorium on the vast majority of the U.S. OCS . . .”
In noting concerns with the proposed Atlantic 50-mile buffer, the letter urges Sec. Jewell to retain the entire proposed Mid/South Atlantic lease sale area without additional restrictions.
