Title
Opposing Oil and Gas Development Off Maryland’s Shores - For the purpose of expressing the City of Annapolis’s opposition to offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration activities, including seismic air gun blasting.
Body
CITY COUNCIL OF THE
City of Annapolis
Resolution 5-18
Introduced by: Alderman Savidge
A RESOLUTION concerning
Opposing Oil and Gas Development Off Maryland’s Shores
FOR the purpose of expressing the City of Annapolis’s opposition to offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration activities, including seismic air gun blasting.
WHEREAS, on August 16, 2017, Governor Hogan formerly notified the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) of Maryland’s opposition to opening up the Mid-Atlantic outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease area for oil and gas exploration and development activities as part of the 2019-2024, 5-year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program; and
WHEREAS, offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration places coastal communities at economic and ecological risk from oil spills and the pollution brought by routine drilling operations and onshore industrialization, threatening the livelihoods of commercial and recreational fisherman and small businesses that rely on a clean and healthy ocean and beaches; and,
WHEREAS, offshore drilling may require significant onshore infrastructure, such as pipelines or refineries, which would harm the character of Maryland’s coastline, perpetuates our ties to dirty carbon pollution, and exacerbates wetlands loss and storm surge and sea level rise impacts; and,
WHEREAS, offshore drilling activities pose threats to the Chesapeake Bay, a major historical, cultural, economic and ecological treasure in this region; and
WHEREAS, seismic air-guns fire intense blasts of compressed air, which create one of the loudest manmade sounds in the ocean at 200-230 decibels, occurring as frequently as every ten seconds, for days to weeks at a time; and
WHEREAS, seismic air gun blasting to explore for oil and gas deposits has been proven to disrupt and displace marine life and threatens our coastal wetlands in Maryland, which are of intrinsic ecological value for numerous migratory bird species, serve as essential nursery habitats for recreational and commercially important fisheries, and act as natural buffers from storm surges and hurricanes; and
WHEREAS, the City of Annapolis endeavors to be a good steward of the State’s environment and its resources; and
WHEREAS, tourism that is related to the appreciation of our natural coastal and historical environment is a major economic force in the City of Annapolis; and
WHEREAS, the City of Annapolis’s maritime heritage contributes to a high quality of life for our residents to enjoy, enables business recruitment, and attracts new residents; and
WHEREAS, the City of Annapolis recommends that it would be more economically and ecologically responsible to pursue non-polluting sources of renewable energy through solar, wind, and biomass energy production projects that pose less risk to our coastal environment and economic health before using uncertain methods such as seismic blasting for offshore oil and gas exploration.
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that the Council opposes offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration activities, including seismic air gun blasting, in the mid-Atlantic Ocean adjacent to Maryland’s coastline.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Governor, Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District House and Senate Delegations to the 115th Congress, the President of the Maryland Senate, and the Maryland House Speaker.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE ANNAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL that this resolution shall take effect from the date of its passage.
EXPLANATION
Underlining indicates matter added to existing law.
[Strikethrough] indicates matter stricken from existing law.