Offshore Oil Drilling

Frostpaw the climate change polar bear holds sign that says "Climate Change is Killing Us". He joined other environmental activists at a protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

"Save the Arctic" says the walrus. Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

"Save the Arctic" says the walrus. Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

"Save the Arctic" says the walrus. Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "Climate Change is Killing Us" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)

Offshore Oil Drilling

Environmental activists protest outside a public hearing held at a conference room inside the Embassy Suites Convention Center Washington DC on Monday Feb. 9, 2015 on the Obama administration's latest offshore drilling 5-year plan. The past week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released its draft 2017-2022 program for oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf. The proposed program offers 10 new leases in the Gulf of Mexico, three off the coast of Alaska, and, for the first time, one off the coasts of Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in the Atlantic Ocean. The BOEM is hosting a series of public meetings to facilitate public input on the potential environmental impacts that should be analyzed before the agency gives it final approval. This is the first time President Obama has proposed opening the Atlantic to drilling since before the BP Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010. Among the protestors was Frostpaw the climate change polar bear from the Center for Biological Diversity. Frostpaw is intended to illustrate the animal life that will be threatened by drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic. Other groups participating in the demonstration were Greenpeace, Oceana, the Surfrider Foundation, and Friends of the Earth International. Sign reads "No Whale Blood for Oil, ban seismic airguns" (Photo by Jeff Malet)