WASHINGTON, D.C. – The office of U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the March edition of his Inside Maine podcast. This month’s podcast features Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI.) and Tom Peaco, the executive director of the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, who joined Sen. King to discuss the concerns related to offshore drilling on the east coast.

The Interior Department’s draft proposed plan, which would allow offshore drilling in the vast majority of federal waters, includes two auctions for offshore drilling leases in the North Atlantic Planning Area, which stretches from New Jersey to Maine. One auction is slated for 2021, and the second for 2023. In the months since the plan was first unveiled, Senator King has repeatedly spoken out against any drilling off the coast of Maine. In January, he joined with Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) in sending a letter to Secretary Ryan Zinke expressing their opposition to the plan, and later that month the two joined their New England Senate colleagues, including Sen. Whitehouse, in introducing the New England Coastal Protection Act to bar offshore drilling along the region’s coast. Sen. Whitehouse has been one of the loudest environmental voices in the Senate, recently completing his 200^th floor speech on the threats of climate change.

Sen. King also welcomed Tom Peaco to this month’s show to discuss about the importance of the ocean to the Penobscot Bay region’s local economy. Peaco highlighted the economic impact that offshore drilling would have on Maine’s coastal communities, which rely on industries like tourism and fishing. In February, Sen. King spoke against the proposal on the Senate floor and highlighted the threat drilling poses to key sectors of the Maine economy.

The “Inside Maine Podcast with Senator Angus King” is a 30-minute program that aims to help keep Maine people informed about issues of the day, how they affect life in the state, and how they factor into Senator King’s work as one of two independents in the U.S. Senate. Senator King’s podcast builds on his existing radio show that airs on Newsradio WGAN in Portland, Maine between 10 and 11 a.m. on almost every last Saturday of the month.

The link to the March podcast can be found HERE.