Maryland AG Leads Charge in New Legal Push Against Offshore Drilling

A coalition of ten state attorneys general, led by Maryland’s Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, is pushing back against the federal government’s proposal to allow offshore oil and gas drilling along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Their joint effort seeks to exclude these regions from the upcoming National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which will determine areas eligible for drilling over the next five years.

Maryland’s coastal economy and environment are at the heart of the opposition. The state depends heavily on the Chesapeake Bay, which yields half a billion pounds of seafood annually and supports a $100 billion economy. The beaches of Ocean City and Assateague Island attract millions of visitors each year, while the Port of Baltimore provides jobs for more than 50,000 workers. Advocates argue that potential spills could threaten these industries without offering meaningful benefits, as U.S. energy production is already high and gasoline demand has been falling since 2019.

Attorney General Brown and his colleagues emphasized that offshore drilling would contradict their states’ environmental policies. Maryland law prohibits offshore drilling in state waters and holds drilling companies strictly liable for any resulting spills. The state has also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2031 and reaching net-zero by 2045, making fossil fuel expansion incompatible with those goals.

The comment letter filed by the coalition highlights the economic and ecological devastation caused by past spills, including the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and similar incidents off the California coast. The attorneys general argue that such risks outweigh the minor potential energy gains. Besides Maryland, the states backing this opposition include California, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.

Article by multiple contributors, based upon information from a press release issued by the Office of the Maryland Attorney General

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