Massey asks US Department of the Interior to include South Carolina in 5-Year Plan for Offshore Drilling

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Friends - Yesterday I asked the United States Department of the Interior to include South Carolina in its new five-year plan for offshore drilling. I did this because I believe drilling for clean natural gas beyond eyesight off our coast can help make our state and nation more energy independent while energizing our economy. Below is the press release and letter I sent.

Thank you for your continued support as I push commonsense measures to change the way things are done in Columbia.

Sincerely,

Shane

PRESS RELEASE

(Edgefield, SC) – State Senator Shane Massey has asked the United States Department of the Interior to include South Carolina in its 5-year plan for offshore drilling.  Experts believe large natural gas reserves sit off South Carolina’s coast, and we have a chance to lead the nation in reducing our dependence on foreign oil. At the same time, collecting royalties from these resources could move our economy forward and jumpstart job creation in our region. Unfortunately, state officials have stayed on the sidelines while other states like Virginia have actively petitioned to become part of the Department of Interior’s 5-year Plan.

Offshore drilling falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Mineral Management Service (MMS).  For drilling to occur, each area must be written into a 5-year plan. During the last 5-year plan process, Virginia petitioned MMS to be included in the plan despite the federal moratoria on the Atlantic Coast.  This would allow them to begin the drilling process immediately after the moratoria are lifted.  MMS granted Virginia’s request in the 5-year plan that was implemented last year.

When President Bush announced the repeal of the Presidential moratoria, MMS began rewriting the 5-year plan.  The process can take up to 24-30 months to complete and requires many steps, including public comment sessions, Environmental Impact Studies, and other consultations.

Massey says that it’s critical for South Carolina work with MMS immediately in order to be included in the next 5-year plan. In a letter to MMS, Massey wrote:

“It is my understanding that prior to the current moratorium, studies were conducted off South Carolina’s coast and experts determined that some of the largest reserves of clean, abundant, and efficient natural gas in the Atlantic Ocean might sit off our shores.  It is also my understanding that these reserves could help reduce our dependence on foreign oil while providing significant royalties to the State of South Carolina and its taxpayers.  For these reasons, I request that MMS include South Carolina in the new 5-year plan and conduct new studies to determine whether these reserves exist so we can explore the possibility of drilling off our coast for natural gas.”

LETTER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Randall Luthi
Director
Minerals Management Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20240

Dear Mr. Luthi,

I am writing to express my strong support of expanding energy exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of the United States.  I was very encouraged by your agency’s efforts to move forward with drafting a new 5-year plan, and I write today to formally request that you include South Carolina in the plan.

As you know, 27 percent of America’s oil and 15 percent of our natural gas comes from drilling in the OCS on 3,900 platforms.  Significantly, this drilling has occurred in an environmentally friendly manner.  Your agency’s estimates predict close to 86 billion barrels of oil and 419 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, but roughly 646 million acres of ocean are currently under some sort of moratoria, which deny hardworking Americans a chance to use their own resources to meet our domestic needs.  Instead these moratoria force us to rely heavily on foreign sources of oil at a time of rising gasoline prices.

I applaud President Bush’s repeal of the presidential moratorium, but we all know it is the responsibility of Congress to complete the job by lifting the statutory moratoria.  Your agency’s efforts to be proactive and begin preparing a new 5-year plan before Congress has acted are a welcome start.

It is vital that the Mineral Management Service (MMS) cast a wide view of drilling in the OCS.  While I understand there are many steps and proposed draft plans you will have to revise, I encourage you to begin with as much on the table as possible, including territory in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, all of the Atlantic, and areas along the Pacific Coast.

The process exists to review all the options and consider the pros and cons.  We should not arbitrarily restrict ourselves at the onset.  As a South Carolina State Senator, I know the citizens of my state are particularly sensitive to the issue of drilling offshore.  We have a beautiful coast and tourism is our largest industry, but I am confident we can explore America’s resources and simultaneously protect our treasured shores.

It is my understanding that prior to the current moratorium, studies were conducted off South Carolina’s coast and experts determined that some of the largest reserves of clean, abundant, and efficient natural gas in the Atlantic Ocean might sit off our shores.  It is also my understanding that these reserves could help reduce our dependence on foreign oil while providing significant royalties to the State of South Carolina and its taxpayers.  For these reasons, I request that MMS include South Carolina in the new 5-year plan and conduct new studies to determine whether these reserves exist so we can explore the possibility of drilling off our coast for natural gas.

With the energy challenges our country is confronting today, I applaud your leadership on this issue and ask you to pursue every option to ensure we meet those challenges and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources.

Thank you for your consideration on this matter.

Sincerely,

Shane Massey

Posted September 26, 2008 by

SHANE MASSEY SAYS IT’S TIME TO DRILL OFFSHORE

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MASSEY WANTS TO INVEST IN SRS ALTERNATIVE FUEL RESEARCH

(Edgefield, SC) – State Senator Shane Massey today released a commonsense plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil while creating jobs for our region.  Massey says the State of South Carolina needs to take a serious look at offshore drilling for clean, abundant, and efficient natural gas while demanding significant royalties and investing in alternative fuel research at the Savannah River Site.

Unless reauthorized by Congress, the twenty-five year ban on offshore drilling will expire on October 1, 2008.  Experts believe that large natural gas reserves sit off South Carolina’s coast, and we have a chance to lead the nation in reducing our dependence on foreign oil while collecting royalties that can jumpstart our economy and create jobs for our region. Unfortunately state officials have remained inactive while other states like Virginia have become part of the Department of Interior’s five-year plan.

Massey says it’s time to get to work. “South Carolina officials have remained silent while Virginia’s leaders have worked hard to become part of the Department of Interior’s five-year plan for offshore drilling.  The potential royalties to our state could be significant and could jump start our economy in the midst of rising unemployment rates.”

“Drilling is only a temporary solution,” Massey continued. “We must invest resources into alternative fuel research. The Savannah River Site serves as one of our region’s largest employers while the Savannah River National Laboratory and the Center for Hydrogen Research are leading the way in searching for sources of alternative energy.  We need to make additional state funding a priority, and we have to work with our Congressional delegation to obtain more federal funding.  Doing so will create more jobs, energize our area’s economy, and help secure America’s energy independence.”

Massey says South Carolina must:

1. Demand an end to the ban on offshore drilling and oil shale recovery.

2. Immediately convene the special committee to study the feasibility of natural gas exploration off the coast of South Carolina.

3. Request that South Carolina be included in the Department of Interior’s five-year plan.

4. Pass offshore drilling legislation in 2009 and negotiate with the federal government to ensure royalties be paid to the State of South Carolina.

5. Invest in alternative energy research at the Savannah River Site.

Just last week Senator Massey wrote legislative leaders demanding that a special committee follow through on its commission to study the feasibility of natural gas exploration. Massey says that he will send a letter to the Department of Interior this week, asking that South Carolina become part of the new five-year plan for offshore drilling.

Please click here to read Shane’s Commonsense Energy Plan.

Posted September 23, 2008 by

Sentiment building for offshore drilling

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Off South Carolina coast, there might be nothing to drill for

Congress is poised to open offshore fields to more oil and natural gas drilling, including areas along the Southeast coast, a dramatic turn-around driven by price panic.

Any such bill would have been dead in the water a year ago.

If passed, the bill is expected to leave it to individual states to decide whether drilling would be allowed. The prospect prompted a state senator on Monday call for immediate action in South Carolina, and a revenue-strapped Legislature appears ready at least to take a look at the idea, the royalties and other money it could generate. Read more

Posted September 17, 2008 by

Massey Demands Immediate Action on Offshore Drilling

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General Assembly Must Take Immediate Action on Offshore Drilling if Congress Lifts Ban

(Edgefield, SC) - State Senator Shane Massey today called on Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell and Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell to call a meeting of a special committee to study the feasibility of natural gas exploration off the coast of South Carolina so that the General Assembly can take immediate action if Congress fails to renew the twenty-five year ban on offshore drilling.

The study committee, which was created by the General Assembly in June 2007, was supposed to meet last fall and report to the state legislature during the 2008 session, but it has yet to organize and hold its first meeting.  New legislation was passed during the 2008 legislative session mandating the committee meet in November of this year, but a lack of committee appointments could delay action again.

The committee has been charged with the task of examining the potential benefits and detriments of drilling for natural gas off South Carolinas shores if the current federal ban on offshore drilling were lifted. Congress is considering proposals to modify the ban to allow drilling off the shores of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Senator Massey commented, “We can’t keep waiting for Congress to solve our energy problems.  Rapidly rising energy costs are leading our nation and our economy into a crisis.  The federal government’s attitude of putting it off until later has left us in a serious bind.  We have to look for alternatives to our current energy supply, and natural gas is one that could have an immediate impact on South Carolina.”

Senator Massey added, If Congress lifts the ban, our legislature needs to have a clear understanding of what options are available to our state so we can act quickly. That’s why the study committee was created in the first place. South Carolina has an opportunity to lead the nation in the expansion of energy resources and we must get the job done for working families struggling with skyrocketing energy costs.

The U.S. Congress must reauthorize the ban by September 30, 2008, or it will be lifted and coastal states will have the option of pursuing exploration and drilling for natural gas.

LETTER TO SENATOR McCONNELL AND SPEAKER HARRELL

Dear Senator McConnell and Speaker Harrell

I write you today with an extreme sense of urgency. I have no doubt that you are closely following the developing national debate on energy, offshore drilling, and the need for alternative energy sources. Many South Carolina families are closely following this debate, as well.

Time is of the essence.  Rapidly rising energy costs are leading our nation and our economy into a crisis.  The federal government’s attitude of “putting it off until later” has left us in a serious bind.  We must look for alternatives to our current energy supply, and natural gas is one that could have the most immediate impact on South Carolina.

The recent return of the United States Congress to session has added a new spark to the debate as a vote on The Energy Reform Act of 2008 is expected very soon. The forthcoming vote by Congress will impact energy policy in the United States for years to come. One of the issues being heavily debated by Congress is the renewal/expiration of a ban on offshore drilling. Should the ban be allowed to expire, South Carolina will have an unprecedented opportunity to allow exploration and possibly drilling off our coast.

This brings me to the point of my letter. As you are aware, during the 2007 legislative session the General Assembly passed a joint resolution (H.3828), which established a study committee to examine the feasibility of natural gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.  The committee was supposed to meet in 2007 and present their findings to the General Assembly during the 2008 session. The committee did not do so and a new resolution was passed (H.4447) stating that the committee must meet by November of this year.

I understand there has been a holdup in appointing members of the study committee, which could cause a delay in their presentation to the General Assembly.  While you have made your appointments, appointments by the 2nd Congressional District and the 6th Congressional District have not been made. I urge you to contact those who still have appointments outstanding and share with them the urgency of our opportunity.

If Congress lifts the ban, the General Assembly must act immediately in passing offshore drilling legislation; the people of South Carolina need to have a clear understanding of what options are available to our state. That is why the study committee was created in the first place. South Carolina has an opportunity to lead the nation in the expansion of energy resources, and that is exactly why I am urging you as leaders to help move forward this feasibility study committee as quickly as possible.

I cannot think of a more pressing issue affecting the daily lives of South Carolina’s working men and women than the rising cost of energy. Although I am asking you to help move the study committee forward, I am also offering to be of service myself in any way possible.

Government needs to do for people what they cannot do for themselves, so as a State Senator representing homeowners, small business owners, and tax payers I think it is vitally important to finalize the study committee appointments so the committee can start building the foundation of information needed for the General Assembly to take immediate action about the future use of natural gas resources in South Carolina.

Sincerely,

Shane Massey
Senate District 25

Posted September 15, 2008 by ecgwesley

Sen. Massey’s Town Hall Meeting covers broad range of topics

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State Senator Shane Massey held another of his popular Town Hall meetings Monday night at the Edgefield County Council Chambers covering a broad range of topics and questions from residents. Of all the problems the state faces there was a single common threat to most facing funding and deficit problems, irresponsible spending by the Legislature. Sen. Massey pointed out that last year the state had a surplus of $1 billion, “and they spent it all.” This year the state is facing a $238 million deficit that cut funding “across the board” three per cent, another thing Sen. Massey said he did not agree with.

Included in some of the line items listed in last year’s budget, that was only cut because of pressure from media exposure, “was a $900,000 ear mark for a green bean museum in Lancaster,” Sen. Massey said. That common threat ran through discussions on Education, Immigration, health care, and the hotly debated increase in the cigarette tax.

Sen. Massey explained that he supported the increase in the per pack cigarette tax, which would have raised the tax from 7 cents to 57 cents. “The cost of Medicaid has risen 50% in the last five years,” Sen. Massey said, “that’s a big increase.” Yet the programs ultimately earmarked for use of the revenues in the passage of the tax would have given $80 million to expand Medicaid participation, growing the number of those eligible to participate and thus increasing the cost dramatically. Read more

Posted September 12, 2008 by

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