June 03, 2026

Rep. Mike Levin Fights to Ban Drilling Off of California & Florida Coasts

Washington, D.C.—Today, during a House Appropriations Committee markup, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) introduced an amendment to prohibit leasing activities for oil and gas off the coast of California and in the Eastern Gulf near Florida. The amendment was rejected by Republicans on the Appropriations Committee—including Republican Members who represent Florida.

In November 2025, the Trump Administration announced new offshore drilling plans for the nation that would include up to 34 offshore lease sales covering approximately 1.27 billion acres of United States coastline, including three lease sales in Southern California and three more throughout the rest of the state. The plan would also include 21 lease sales off the coast of Alaska and seven in the Gulf of Mexico, including two in the Eastern Gulf near Florida. The proposed leasing areas include waters used by the U.S. military for training, testing, and operations.

Since entering Congress in 2019, Rep. Levin has fought extensively for a ban on offshore drilling off the coast of California. In April 2025, he reintroduced he reintroduced the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act to ban offshore drilling along the Southern California coast. He also co-sponsored Rep. Jared Huffman’s (CA-02) West Coast Ocean Protection Act, which would ban offshore drilling throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. Rep. Levin’s bill has been endorsed by numerous environmental groups and cities throughout the 49^th Congressional District.

Rep. Levin’s amendment would have prevented new offshore drilling leases off the costs of California and Florida in order to protect coastal economies, military installations, tourism, and the environment.

Read Rep. Levin’s remarks as prepared for delivery below:

I am proud to represent 50 miles of beautiful Southern California coastline and the vibrant coastal economy that relies on its clean and healthy ocean ecosystem.

It is well known how much our coastline supports the economy, from tourism, to recreation, to fisheries, to deepwater port commerce.

But what we do not talk about enough is the fact that our coastline is also home to a broad network of military installations, testing sites, and naval training areas that are essential to our military readiness, including Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in my district.

It’s not just California that relies on a healthy coastline; every one of us from a coastal state knows just how important the ocean is to our constituents and our military.

Which is why I am so concerned that the first proposal on the 11^th National Outer Continental Shelf Program would open waters off the coast of California and in the Gulf off of Florida to offshore drilling.

Last year, the Interior Department proposed to expand drilling into the Eastern Gulf near Florida as well as the entire California coast, where no new drilling has taken place in more than 50 years.

The U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard all use at least one range off California or in the Gulf, and at least two dozen military bases rely on these waters in some capacity.

So I rise today to offer an amendment to prohibit leasing activities for oil and gas off the coast of California and in the Eastern Gulf near Florida.

In California, the waters off our shore are actively used by the men and women of our armed forces to train, test, and maintain the readiness that keeps this country safe and that keeps our adversaries in check.

The waters off Southern California are some of the most militarily significant in the world. This is where we project power into the Pacific.

Yet as you can see, the proposed leasing expansion in California overlaps significantly with areas that the US military uses for training and operations.

These offshore waters are where these service members rehearse the missions that matter most. Where next-generation systems get tested. Where readiness is built so that when the moment comes, our military is prepared.

That includes the amphibious assault exercises, ship-to-shore raids, small unit landings, and that are essential to how our servicemen and women train and certify for deployment.

These are not optional exercises. They are required before deployment.

The same is true on the Florida coast. The proposed drilling expansion in the Eastern Gulf would mean real impacts to military readiness.

The region acts as critical training ground and retired military leaders have been ringing the alarm bell about the risks that new offshore drilling would pose in the Gulf.

From weapons and aircraft testing to training exercises, having access to open water in the Eastern Gulf is critical to our military operations.

Yet again, as you can see, the proposed leasing expansion significantly overlaps with military training and operations areas off the Florida coast.

Think about what that actually looks like in practice.

New drilling creates new physical and logistical conflicts in some of the most sensitive testing ranges in the country. It creates conflicts between commercial activity and military necessity that simply should not exist.

Permanent oil platforms cannot be moved for military exercises.

There is also an environmental dimension to this that cannot be ignored.

The risk of oil spills is very real, and one that our Southern California community experienced all too recently.

A pipeline leaked just off the Orange County coast, releasing tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean, making the shoreline unsafe for fishing and tourism for months.

Now ask yourself: what happens when that kind of catastrophe occurs not off a tourist beach, but in the middle of an offshore range complex or an active training corridor?

For all these reasons, new drilling off the coasts of California and Florida opposition faces bipartisan opposition from communities and elected officials.

I hope that everyone can stand by our colleagues from California and Florida to support my amendment to prevent new drilling in these sensitive areas.

Thank you and I yield back.