Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he formally requested the federal government to exclude New York from its offshore drilling program.
In January, the Department of Interior released its plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in almost all U.S. coastlines. Gov. Cuomo immediately expressed strong opposition to the plan. He said it is “an unacceptable threat” to the economy and ocean resources of New York.
The state stands to lose nearly 320,000 jobs and billions of dollars generated from tourism and fishing industries if the federal government reject its request for exclusion. New York’s ocean economy is the third-largest in the United States. It is generating $11 billion in wages and contributing $23 billion in gross domestic product.
The Department of Interior granted Florida’s request for exemption because its economy depends heavily on tourism.
In a statement on Friday, Gov. Cuomo reiterated the state’s strong opposition to the Department of Interior’s National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
