Bill looking to permanently ban oil and gas activities off California

Democratic Party Representative Salud Carbajal has reintroduced the California Clean Coast Act into the US Congress.

The California Clean Coast Act would permanently ban future offshore oil and gas leasing in areas of the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California.

The act was the first bill the congressman introduced as a member of Congress in an attempt to protect the state’s coast from offshore drilling and the devastating impact of oil spills.

“Santa Barbara knows firsthand how devastating oil spills can be on our marine ecosystems and coastline,” said Carbajal. “I’m proud to lead this bill to ban future offshore oil drilling in our state and ensure California’s world-famous coastline is protected for future generations to enjoy.”

“The California Clean Coast Act is critical to protecting our coast and climate from the threats of offshore oil drilling. From the 1969 blowout at Platform A to the 2015 pipeline spill along the Gaviota Coast, the California Coast has suffered the devastating effects of offshore oil development on communities who live, play, and work here. The California Clean Coast Act will preserve our precious coast from the threats of future oil spills and climate change,” added Linda Krop, chief counsel of the Environmental Defence Centre.

At the end of the Biden administration, Carbajal’s eight-year push to ban future offshore oil drilling came to fruition when president Biden invoked his authority to protect over 2.5m sq km of federal waters from oil and gas exploration. Congressman Carbajal was one of 12 members of Congress who wrote to President Biden requesting this action before the end of his term.

Several Republican-led states, Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, and Mississippi, filed a lawsuit to challenge Biden’s offshore drilling ban.

After moving into the White House, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the National Energy Dominance Council focused on boosting the country’s production and export of fossil fuels. The new council, headed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, will be granted authority over federal agencies involved in energy permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, and transportation. Burgum was also directed to undo Biden’s ban on future offshore oil drilling.

Carbajal’s bill is partnering with a pair of bills introduced in the Senate that aim to permanently block oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The combo package of legislations includes the West Coast Ocean Protection Act, introduced by Senator Alex Padilla, and the Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act, introduced by Senators Cory Booker and Jack Reed.

Padilla’s bill would permanently prohibit new oil and gas leases for offshore drilling off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington state. The Booker and Reed bill would permanently bar the Interior Department or any of its agencies from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil and gas in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.