Nine state attorneys join lawsuit opposing air guns to search for oil in the Atlantic

The blowhole of a North Atlantic right whale is seen from the research vessel Shearwater’s upper deck as the whale moves away from the boat in Cape Cod Bay. (Stephan Savoia/AP) December 20 State attorneys general from Maine to South Carolina joined a lawsuit filed by conservationists seeking to block the Trump administration from allowing seismic testing in the Atlantic Ocean that could harm marine mammals and lead to drilling off the Eastern Seaboard for the first time in decades. New York State Attorney Barbara D. Underwood (D) announced Thursday that the coalition of nine attorneys general moved to stop “the proposed use of air guns to survey the Atlantic Ocean floor for oil and gas” on the grounds that they will “expose whales, dolphins and porpoises to repeated sound blasts louder than 160 decibels,” threatening their health. The attorneys general from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York are also opposed to the prospect of drilling for oil and natural gas off their shores. “While the administration continues to place the interests of the fossil fuel industry ahead of our precious natural resources, attorneys general up and down the Atlantic coast will […]

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