US Senate Democrats are questioning the legality of the Trump administration’s plan to continue work on its five-year offshore drilling plan during the partial federal government shutdown, according to Reuters. The Senators sent a letter to David Bernhardt, the Department of Interior’s acting secretary, and Walter Cruickshank, acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) asking why the latter updated its plan to enable 40 employees to work on the offshore leasing program.
The letter focused on what legal grounds the department firstly altered its treatment of offshore oil and gas activities on December,when the shutdown began, and on January it recalled the employees.
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The letter, demanded a reply by February 1.
The letter signed by 14 legislators, stated that Americans deserve regulators who have safety and environmental protection as a priority over political goals.
In addition, the letter was signed by Democratic Senators Robert Menendez, Cory Booker, Edward Markey, Richard Blumenthal, Jack Reed, Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Sherrod Brown, Patrick Leahy, Ben Cardin, Dianne Feinstein, Jeanne Shaheen and Tom Carper and an independent, Bernie Sanders.
The longest government shutdown in the US marked its 33rd day on January 23.
Interior Department spokeswoman, Faith Vander Voort, supported that they will reply to their letter in a timely manner.
In conclusion, BOEM has recalled some furloughed employees to prepare an upcoming Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale using funds left over from last year, according to a department document.
