New bill would protect oceans from offshore drilling expansion

With the Trump administration expected to move forward soon on its plan to expand offshore drilling, environmental champions in Congress introduced a set of bills to protect our oceans.

On Jan. 8, Reps. Frank Pallone, Joe Cunningham, Salud Carbajal, David Cicilline, Kathy Castor, Jared Huffman and Donald McEachin introduced legislation that would prohibit offshore drilling in parts of our federal waters. There are eight bills in total, which together would ban or place a 10-year moratorium on offshore drilling in the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans, and the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

“The reality is that when we drill, we spill,” said Kelsey Lamp, an associate with our national network’s Campaign to Defend Our Environment. “Threatening our beaches and coastal communities, all for a little more oil, is not only the wrong choice, it’s unnecessary, as renewable energy and clean technologies continue to soar.”

A previous version of the Interior Department’s original drilling plan, announced last year, met with strong opposition from leaders in coastal communities.

Photo: On Jan. 8, environmental champions in Congress introduced a set of bills to protect our oceans and the wildlife that calls them home from offshore drilling. Credit: Anne Powell via Shutterstock.