Azul Submits Comments for the 2023-2028 National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program
On October 5, 2022, Azul submitted a public comment to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on the 2023-2028 National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program.
“The following comments are submitted to you on behalf of Azul, a grassroots organization working with Latinxs to protect the ocean and coasts.
We write to you today to express our deep concerns with the proposed program and also with the lack of language access for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) documents regarding the oil and gas leases. There are many populations living within close proximity along the program’s proposed leasing areas where English is not their primary spoken or written language. Spanish is prevalent in Texas counties along the coast while Vietnamese and Cajun French are commonly spoken in Louisiana. We believe communities along the Gulf Coast who do not primarily speak English have the right to access and have BOEM documents available in their primary language. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI calls for this treatment,as all programs, activities and benefits receiving federal funds must be language accessible.
As Azul’s National Policy Manager, Carlos Ochoa, testified on September 12, Azul is following the directives of frontline communities, who call on our organization, advocates and our nation to say no to new oil and gas leases in the upcoming 2023-2028 plan. More oil and gas leases will equate to more pain for communities of color, who bear the brunt of the effects of pollution, the climate crisis and environmental racism.”
Click here to read Azul’s full comment on BOEM’s OCS 5 Year Plan.