Senators demand names of oil industry contacts from Interior Dept.



NEXT: See Houston restaurants offering meals for furloughed federal workers during the shutdown. less U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez waves at reporters before entering the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse for his federal corruption trial, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, in Newark, N.J. Menendez is among the senators demanding oil industry contacts from federal agencies. U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez waves at reporters before entering the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse for his federal corruption trial, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, in Newark, N.J. Menendez is among the senators ... more Photo: Julio Cortez, STF Photo: Julio Cortez, STF Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Senators demand names of oil industry contacts from Interior Dept. 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

WASHINGTON - Democratic senators are demanding the Trump administration turn over the names of those it has been in contact with from the oil industry over its decision to continue oil and gas leasing during the partial government shutdown.

Both the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have continued to approve new drilling projects, even as the Department of Interior remains largely shut down, leading to national park closures and the suspension of wildlife research.

"While the oil industry might view a delay in the approval of new offshore drilling as an emergency, the American people deserve regulators who prioritize safety and environmental protection over political expediency and the wishes of moneyed special interests," read a letter signed by 11 Democratic senators, led by Senators Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Ed Markey, D-Mass. "The modification of BOEM's contingency plan shows an unfailing commitment to carrying out the agenda of the oil industry at the expense of coastal communities."

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In addition to the names of industry contacts, the senators told the Interior Department to explain "the legal basis for re-categorizing offshore drilling efforts as 'essential' under a partial government shutdown, and where Interior is finding the money to continue these efforts since funding for the department has not been appropriated."

They asked Interior officials to respond by Feb. 1.

An Interior spokesman said the department would respond in "a timely manner," but also noted the letter states the senators' opposition to "any offshore oil and gas development in the United States, regardless of whether or not we are experiencing a partial government shutdown."

The letter follows similar calls from House Democrats last week, telling the Interior Department to stop plans to bring back furloughed staff for an offshore lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico in March.