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 oi...
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