Rhode Island and California Lead Efforts to Ban Offshore Drilling

Rhode Island senator Sheldon Whitehouse and congressman Seth Magaziner are spearheading a bipartisan initiative to ban offshore drilling along the coast of New England. This move aims to protect the region’s valuable ocean and coastal industries.

New England, comprising Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, stands united in support of the proposed ban. All states, except Vermont, have representatives backing the bill.

The New England Coastal Protection Act has garnered support from key figures such as Maine senators Susan Collins and Angus King, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, and Connecticut senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy. New Hampshire senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, along with the entire Rhode Island congressional delegation, are also on board with the legislation.

Senator Whitehouse, a vocal advocate for environmental protection, expressed his commitment to halting offshore drilling in Rhode Island. He emphasized the potential risks posed by reckless oil and gas exploration to the region’s thriving industries, including tourism, fishing, and recreation.

According to data from NOAA Fisheries, New England’s ocean and coastal activities contribute over $17.5 billion annually to the economy. The senators argue that expanding drilling in the Atlantic would jeopardize these industries and elevate the risk of environmental disasters in the area.

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Democratic Representative Salud Carbajal has reintroduced the California Clean Coast Act in Congress. This legislation seeks to permanently prohibit offshore oil and gas leasing in designated areas of the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California.

Furthermore, efforts are underway to block offshore drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Senator Alex Padilla’s bill aims to prevent new oil and gas leases for drilling off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. Senators Cory Booker and Jack Reed have introduced a bill to prohibit the issuance of leases for oil and gas exploration in various planning areas of the US Outer Continental Shelf.