Business Loans: Instant Alert: 10 industries at risk by Trump's offshore oil and gas drilling proposal

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10 industries at risk by Trump's offshore oil and gas drilling proposal

by Daniel Brown on Feb 2, 2018, 6:30 PM

In January, President Donald Trump proposed opening 98% of US waters to offshore oil and gas drilling.

The proposal listed 47 potential leases for drilling between 2019 and 2024, including "19 sales off the coast of Alaska, 7 in the Pacific Region, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico, and 9 in the Atlantic Region," according to the US Interior Department.

It has drawn criticism from politicians on both sides of the aisle because exploration methods and the potential for oil spills risk the environment and multiple coastal industries.

Offshore oil surveyors use seismic airguns that cause in marine life "temporary and permanent hearing loss, abandonment of habitat, disruption of mating and feeding, and even beach strandings and death," according to CNN.

Less than a week after Trump's proposal, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke removed Florida from the list, saying that he agreed with Republican Gov. Rick Scott that Florida "is unique and its coasts are heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver."

South Carolina GOP Rep. Mark Sanford even said that Trump had Florida removed because of Mar-a-Lago.

But Florida is not the only state reliant on fishing, tourism, and other industries tied to the coast and waterways.

Here are 10 industries in other states that Trump's proposal could endanger:

1. Maryland crabs.

The Chesapeake Bay alone provides the US with 50% of its blue crabs, and the Maryland seafood industry contributes nearly $600 million to the state's economy each year.

"It could jeopardize our whole industry," Robert Brown, president of the Maryland Waterman's Association, told CNN.

Maryland's Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has also come out against Trump's proposal.

Source: State of Maryland

2. Maine lobsters.

In 2016, Maine lobsters brought the state more than $500 million, CNN reported.

"It doesn't make any sense," David Cousens, president of the 1,200-member Maine Lobstermen's Association, told CNN. "We would lose all the lobsters up here."

The proposal also puts Maine's tourism industry, including Acadia National Park, at risk.

3. Gulf Coast shrimp and oysters.

The Gulf Coast accounts for 70% of US oyster production, and Louisiana's shrimp production alone provides 15,000 jobs and $1.3 billion to the state each year.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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