Surfriders Bring Ocean Concerns to D.C.
When 40 members of the Surfrider Foundation participated in the organization’s national lobbying effort on Feb. 12 in Washington, D.C., Nicole Delma and Jesse Spooner of East Hampton, vice chairwoman and vice chairman of the eastern Long Island chapter, were there to ask for a ban on offshore oil drilling on the East Coast, funding of the federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, and a fee on plastic bags to reduce marine debris.
With fellow Surfrider members, Ms. Delma and Mr. Spooner, who plan to marry in the summer, took a crash course in lobbying before meeting with members of New York’s Congressional delegation or their staffs. “It was fascinating, and empowering in a lot of ways,” Ms. Delma said last week. “In many cases they were not familiar with the issues we were talking about. It felt like the first thing I’ve done in a long time that made a difference.”
The Obama administration moved early last year to open a large stretch of East Coast waters to oil and gas drilling, which aroused the interest of environmentalists. The announcement was part of the Interior Department’s five-year plan to sell leases for drilling between 2017 and 2022.
An oil spill is not the only potential hazard to oceans and beaches, and the economies on which their health depends, Ms. Delma said. Seismic air guns are used to find oil and gas under the ocean floor, she said. “It’s really gone under the radar. That was the most dangerous thing. We want to make everyone aware that seismic air guns do quite a lot of damage to sea life, before any drilling occurs. We will see more wildlife washing up on our shores. It kind of slips under the radar, and before we know it, it’s happening.”
Connie Gillette, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s deputy chief of public affairs and media relations, said in an email last week that the next phase of the proposed program would be announced by the end of this month. “At that time the Atlantic may or may not be included in the program,” she said.
In calling on Congress to fund the BEACH Act, the Surfrider delegation noted that its elimination was a perennial proposal. The act sets national quality standards for recreational waters and provides funding to coastal states for testing and public notices.
“Every county in coastal states and the Great Lakes is dependent on that funding to support clean water testing,” Ms. Delma said. “It is very much a public health issue.” This year, she said, marks the fifth that the Surfrider Foundation has lobbied for restoration of its funding.
The couple also pushed for the Trash Reduction Act of 2015, which would require retailers to pay a 10-cent tax on each non-reusable carryout bag. Sixty percent of the revenue, Ms. Delma said, would fund cleanup and prevention of marine debris.
Reaction from members of Congress was generally positive, she said. The group called on Representative Lee Zeldin, whose district includes East Hampton, and Representatives Peter King, Nydia Velazquez, and Kathleen Rice. Kevin Dowling, a legislative assistant to Mr. Zeldin, “was very open to supporting most of our concerns, especially the BEACH Act,” Mr. Spooner said on Tuesday. He and Ms. Delma hope to schedule a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Zeldin soon.
Others the couple spoke with expressed strong support for alternative energy, Mr. Spooner added. With the exception of Mr. King, he said, “we generally heard pro-environmental concern. I think people are finally catching on that that is the way to go.”
A surfboard, signed by Mr. Spooner, Ms. Delma, and business owners opposed to drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, was brought to Ms. Velazquez’s office, which Ms. Delma said was funny, cumbersome, and a great tactic. It was later presented to the White House and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
“They are politicians,” Ms. Delma said, “so we’ll have to see how they follow up. I was also impressed with the willingness to support anything around clean energy and protecting the oceans and beaches. We heard a lot of enthusiasm about shifting toward green energy, especially when we spoke with Kathleen Rice’s staffer.”
Mr. Spooner expects to know this month if he will be accepted into a master’s degree program in environmental science and policy at Johns Hopkins University. Ms. Delma, who founded the Fond Group, a marketing agency, would like to further her lobbying for the Surfrider Foundation. “One of my areas is engaging the next generation,” she said.
Their experience in Washington, she said, “was both scary and motivating. If we don’t do this, who’s going to? It was the first time I had that feeling.”