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Governor holds firm on opposition to offshore drilling
Press of Atlantic City
By BEN LEACH, Staff Writer, 609-272-7261
Published: Monday, April 06, 2009

Article Excerpts:
When it comes to exploring the Outer Continental Shelf, New Jersey continues to say no to the prospect of drilling for oil. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was in Atlantic City on Monday to hold the first of four national forums on potential energy

resources, both alternative and conventional, derived from the Outer Continental Shelf, to determine what issues the Obama administration needs to focus on before developing a comprehensive five-year energy plan for the country. The Outer Continental Shelf extends from three miles off the coast to about 200 miles from the coast. States have jurisdiction over development within three miles off the coast.

Salazar said if offshore wind farms were fully developed across states bordering the Atlantic Ocean, together they could generate enough electricity to replace as many as 3,000 mid-sized coal-fueled plants.

Although the forum did not draw a full-fledged protest rally, John Weber, east coast regional manager for the Surfrider Foundation, organized a silent demonstration in which people held up dollar bills any time a speaker talked about the need for offshore oil drilling. Weber presented the names of more than 21,000 people who had joined a group on Facebook protesting offshore oil drilling. "The offshore drilling moratorium must be put back in place," Weber said. "More drilling is not the answer."

Read the full article:
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/185/story/451081.html