April 7, 2014 — Congressman Frank Pallone, the U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 6th congressional district, is opposing the U.S. Government’s plans to carry out seismic survey in the Atlantic Ocean.
He last week sent a letter to Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, expressing his concern that the results of new proposed seismic testing off the coast of New Jersey could potentially be used to open up the Atlantic Ocean to oil and gas exploration.
He requested that the agency grant a 60-day extension of public comment and hold a public hearing to sufficiently review the application submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to conduct marine seismic surveys off the coast of New Jersey. NMFS has proposed granting permission for the tests that would potentially be conducted this summer.