Both Delaware Democratic senators have sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce to oppose the issuance of five permits that would plan for seismic surveys off of Delaware’s coast.
Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons sent a letter to secretary Wilbur Ross asking to decline the permits submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for companies planning to conduct seismic surveys along the Atlantic outer continental shelf.
Seismic survey operations are used to map underground oil and gas deposits beneath the ocean floor.
Tom Carper is also the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee.
The permit requests come after President Donald Trump’s April executive order instructing the Department of the Interior to review and potentially revise the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
