U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine joined several senators from coastal states on the floor of the Senate Tuesday to urge the Interior Department to reconsider its proposal to open nearly all offshore areas to oil and gas exploration.
King says with the longest coastline of any state, Maine has a lot to lose if there is a spill from drilling operations.
“We depend upon our coast. Tourism and visitation to our beaches and coastal communities are a billion-dollar industry, the largest single employer in our state,” he says. “The cost of a single incident along our coast which affected our lobster industry or affected our visitor industry in the summertime, in the spring or fall, would be catastrophic for our state.”
King says the Interior Department needs to listen to those that represent the coastal states and oppose drilling. All four members of Maine’s congressional delegation oppose drilling.
