Washington D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Val Hoyle today applauded the Biden Administration’s executive action to permanently ban offshore oil and gas drilling on 625 million acres of coastal waters along the entire West Coast, East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea.
“Combating the climate crisis demands bold and decisive action like this that help to curb the use of harmful fossil fuels,” Wyden said. “ Oregonians have experienced dramatic wildfires, ice storms and other dangerous weather events worsened by the climate crisis. This ban on new leases for reckless offshore drilling protects the precious Oregon Coast, and I’ll keep pushing to protect coastal communities in Oregon and across the nation.”
“Offshore drilling guarantees future oil spills with devastating consequences: from oiled beaches to catastrophic damage to tourism, commercial sport fishing, and ocean ecosystems,” Merkley said. “The Oregon Delegation led the charge to protect the Oregon Coast and beyond from offshore oil and gas drilling, and the president’s actions will help build a cleaner, more sustainable energy future for all Americans.”
“The Oregon Coast is a pristine area that should not be destroyed for harmful, short-sighted ventures like offshore drilling,” said Bonamici. “I’m grateful that the Biden-Harris administration is taking action to protect the NW coast and limit damage from the climate crisis. I will continue to protect coastal communities for future generations and for all who rely on a healthy ocean and clean waterways.”
“No one who is paying attention can deny the effects of climate change with the extreme weather that has been devastating to our state and the world,” Hoyle said. “It’s both urgent and imperative that we move away from fossil fuels to a green energy economy with local family wage jobs. The U.S. already has many of open leases for drilling fossil fuels and I want to thank President Biden for doing the right thing for the future of our planet.”
The federal ban on new leases for offshore gas and oil drilling is authorized under Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The withdrawals have no expiration date, and prohibit all future oil and natural gas leasing in the areas withdrawn.
Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici and Hoyle have been champions for coastal communities that oppose harmful oil and gas drilling in Oregon and nationwide. Wyden and Merkley joined Senate colleagues with Bonamici joining House colleagues to urge the Biden Administration to take this action to protect unleased and at-risk areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from fossil fuel development. For years, Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici and Hoyle have championed the West Coast Ocean Protection Act in an effort to achieve this goal. Today’s action followed another letter Merkley and Wyden sent in 2022 to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to not renew leases across all planning areas in any proposed or final five-year outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing program. Wyden and Merkley also introduced the Plug Offshore Wells Act in December that would address the growing threat of abandoned offshore oil and gas infrastructure to marine ecosystems and the environment.
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