Enviros, Gov. Oppose Drilling Off NJ Coast
EAVON, N.J. — New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is joining environmentalists and fishing groups in blasting the idea that oil and gas drilling should be allowed off the Jersey Shore.
Speaking at a news conference in Avon, he says any drilling would endanger the environment and the tourism industry on which New Jersey is so dependent.
The event came just hours after the House passed legislation to open waters 50 miles off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts to oil and natural gas development, provided the adjacent states agree to go along.
But Corzine says New Jersey won’t do that, meaning exploration could take place no closer than 100 miles offshore under the current proposal.
