Opinion: Will Trump Allow Ocean Oil Exploration Off the East End?

Years ago, at a 2008 congressional debate in Montauk both candidates Lee Zeldin and Tim Bishop said oil drilling off the East Coast "in the near future" was not ever happening.

Then Congressman Bishop recited a few laws and his record against all offshore drilling. Bishop looked me in the eye and said, "It will never happen."

Every political candidate for any East End office will always say why they are against even the idea of offshore oil or gas exploration off our ocean beaches. Let's face it, being for the idea is East End political suicide. Until now.

President-elect Donald Trump is a new breed and type of anti-environment regulations dude. He is bringing in all types of energy billionaires to his cabinet and energy advisers, people like T. Boone Pickens, Rex (ExxonMobil) Tillerson, Rick (Texas oil) Perry, and to topic it all off, Scott Pruitt, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Pruitt is perhaps the leading proponent in eliminating the EPA department and all its regulations. My point being — nothing that was sacred curtailing oil and gas exploration is safe.

Meanwhile, 1st Congressional District Representative Congressman Lee Zeldin is on record as being pro oil exploration in the Arctic region. I am sure he would still be against a radical change of laws to allow exploration of the East Coast, but his vote won't count with the large Republican Majority in the House of Representatives. In fact, maybe it takes just a new "Trump Executive Order," to make it possible. After all both Presidents Reagan and Bush opened up sacred lands once thought untouchable for oil and gas fracking and exploration.

Nothing is forever when it gets in the way of oil greed money for the large corporations. By the way, our new Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, walked away from ExxonMobil with a nice $180 million package . . . no Prius cars in his future.

So keep your eyes and ears open, because if it happens, its going to happen fast in the name of making America great again. I recommend emailing Lee Zeldin now and making him go public about where he stands and where President-elect Trump stands on this issue. I am saying right now anything can happen.

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