WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are renewing their strong opposition to any federal action to lift the existing moratorium on oil and natural gas exploration off the New England coast. Snowe and Collins told President Bush Wednesday they would view any attempt to lift the moratorium with “grave concerns” and strongly urged the President not to repeal the moratorium.

“In light of the vast importance of the Georges Bank fishery to our commercial and recreational fisherman, and realizing the potentially negative environmental impacts that ocean oil and gas drilling could have on the tourist economies of our coastal towns, we strongly urge you not to repeal the moratorium on oil and gas exploration on the Georges Bank,” said Snowe and Collins in a letter to President Bush.

The Senators said their concern stems from a recommendation contained in a report by a federal advisory panel, the Natural Gas Subcommittee of the Outer Continental Shelf Policy Committee. That panel urged that the Minerals Management Service begin to collect seismic data to determine the five best prospects for natural gas reserves – an exploration that reportedly would include Georges Bank.

“We would have grave concerns if your Administration were to put forth a definitive proposal to consider lifting the current moratorium on oil and natural gas exploration,” the senators said.

Georges Bank is a 185-mile bank stretching across the mouth of the Gulf of Maine from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia. About five-sixths of the bank lies within U.S. waters, and the United States and Canada have agreed to a moratorium on oil and gas exploration until 2012. Georges Bank is a broad, shallow, and ecologically sensitive fishing ground that is among the world’s most productive fishing areas. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., joined Snowe and Collins in signing the letter to President Bush.