Boston (ap)
Markey says he’s planning to discuss the proposal at the meeting he’s sponsoring at the New England Aquarium IMAX Theater in Boston today.
Markey’s event comes a day before the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management holds a hearing in Boston on Tuesday.
Democratic attorneys general from a dozen coastal states — including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut — have written Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke protesting the drilling plan.
Democratic governors along both coasts unanimously oppose drilling, as do a number of Republican governors, including Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker. Baker is scheduled to meet with Zinke Sunday to discuss offshore drilling while he’s in Washington for the National Governors Association winter meeting.
The five-year plan announced by Zinke would open 90 percent of the nation’s offshore reserves to development by private companies.
Industry groups have praised the announcement while environmental groups denounced it.
