Our last newsletter about a private meeting between Government officials and the oil industry seems to have struck some nerves – in our community, and in the governmental officials who are either backpedaling, or sheepishly looking at the corners of the room hoping the smoke will clear. Originally Donald van der Vaart, the energy policy adviser for the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said in a letter sent to environmental groups that “the meeting was kept invitation-only due to concerns raised by federal officials” – a position that is now being denied by federal officials.
In response to an inquiry from Oceana about the closed public meeting, DENR quickly crafted a response stating that they would host another “five year plan workshop” for “special interest groups such as Oceana, and other environmental organizations, and industry” The date, time, and location will be “forthcoming.” (For this meeting I don’t suppose they will have a police officer checking credentials at the door as they had in the first event.)
This letter was cc’d to a host of officials who need to know about the progress of this little blunder. So to those of you who expressed interest in participatory democracy you can send your comments about the meeting and your concerns about the privatization of federal (your) resources to the same list of officials:
Secretary John Skvarla, NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Secretary Sally Jewell,
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-3100
E-Mail: jewell_sally@ios.doi.gov
Web: Feedback form
Walter Cruickshank, Deputy Director
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
Phone: (202) 208-6474
E-Mail: Walter.Cruickshank@BOEM.gov
Contact: BOEMPublic Affairs
William Yancy Brown, Chief Environmental Officer,
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
Phone: (202) 208-6474
E-Mail: william.brown@boem.gov
Jolie Harrison, Permits and Conservation Division
NOAA Fisheries
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
E-Mail: jolie.harrison@noaa.gov
Secretary John Skvarla,
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
1601 Mail Service Center,
Raleigh, NC 27699-1601
Phone: (877) 623-6748
E-Mail: John.Skvarla@ncdenr.gov
For the details:
The meeting was held Thursday Nov. 6 at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh (a public building) The Agenda was clearly focused on offshore energy development (and revenue) with speakers from industry as well as agency members on our federal payroll. The guest list included fossil fuel interests, and Walter Cruickshank, Acting Director of BOEM.