Rep. Mike Levin Leads Letter to House Leadership Urging Retention of Offshore Drilling Provisions in Build Back Better Act
Oceanside, CA – In response to the oil spill off the Southern California coast, U.S. Representatives Mike Levin (CA-49) and Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) led a letter today signed by 77 House colleagues urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to ensure the Build Back Better Act retains provisions to ban any new federal oil and gas leasing off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Earlier this year, Rep. Levin introduced the American Coasts and Oceans Protection Act to prohibit any new leasing for drilling activity along the Southern California coast, from San Diego to the northern border of San Luis Obispo County.
“Dead birds and dead fish are already washing ashore, local beaches have been closed, boaters are being asked to stay away, and all fishing is curtailed for the area. Oil pollution threatens the more than $2 billion in wages and $4.15 billion in gross domestic product generated by the marine economy in Orange County,” they wrote. “We urge you to retain the offshore oil and gas related provisions in the Build Back Better Act, including the provision that invests in the long-term protection of coastal communities by ending new federal oil and gas leasing off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico […] Congress has a crucial opportunity to end new offshore oil and gas leasing in the Build Back Better Act. We are confident your leadership will help us pass a budget that invests in protecting our coastal communities.”
The following organizations echoed their support for the offshore drilling provisions in the Build Back Better Act:
Alex Taurel, Conservation Program Director, League of Conservation Voters: “Offshore drilling harms coastal economies and communities, wildlife, and our climate. With the Build Back Better Act, Congress has the opportunity to make investments to prevent future oil spill disasters, act on climate at the scale that science and justice require, create good-paying jobs, and reduce costs for families. We strongly support the calls by Reps. Levin, Lowenthal, and many other members of Congress to invest in coastal communities by retaining provisions in the final Build Back Better Act to ban new offshore oil and gas leasing in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Eastern Gulf of Mexico.”
Diane Hoskins, Oceana Campaign Director: “Oceana commends Congressman Levin and congressional leaders for sounding the alarm in the wake of the oil spill devastating Southern California and calling to permanently protect our coasts from dirty and dangerous offshore drilling. Unfortunately, this is just the latest of many tragedies caused by the oil and gas industry. Between 2007 and 2018, the industry averaged about two oil spills every day. This spill is a painful yet unsurprising reminder that even with so-called best leak detection equipment, a disaster of this magnitude can devastate the local economy and environment. The oil and gas industry proves once again that they are selling a sense of safety they cannot back up. It’s time for Congress to finally protect our coasts and end new leasing for offshore drilling.”
Valerie Cleland, oceans advocate for NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): “The devastating California oil spill has made what we already know even clearer – offshore drilling threatens coastal communities and our climate. The support for the offshore drilling provisions in Build Back Better is evident and Congress must include these provisions in the final reconciliation package.”
Click here or see below for the full letter:
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer:
A major oil spill is unfolding off the Southern California coast, about nine miles from Huntington Beach, California. Estimates suggest that at least 144,000 gallons oil have spilled from an offshore pipeline connected to the Elly platform. Dead birds and dead fish are already washing ashore, local beaches have been closed, boaters are being asked to stay away, and all fishing is curtailed for the area. Oil pollution threatens the more than $2 billion in wages and $4.15 billion in gross domestic product generated by the marine economy in Orange County.
With this in mind, we urge you to retain the offshore oil and gas related provisions in the Build Back Better Act, including the provision that invests in the long-term protection of coastal communities by ending new federal oil and gas leasing off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. These provisions reduce the financial risks that existing policies create for the federal government while raising significant revenues and protecting taxpayers.
It is time to enact a budget that ends new federal leasing for offshore oil and gas drilling and prevents the next oil spill. Oil spills shut down the very activity that drives coastal economies. As we are seeing in California right now, toxic oil is covering marine wildlife, causing beaches to close, and shutting down recreation areas that support local businesses and industries. We cannot afford to keep investing our nation’s budget in harmful leasing at a time when we should be investing in coastal communities, which requires preventing new offshore leasing. To avoid the next drilling disaster and protect future generations we must permanently protect our coasts from new offshore drilling. Thousands of jobs in industries like tourism, recreation, and fishing rely on the decisions we make in the coming weeks and months.
Support for protecting our coasts from new drilling is backed broadly, as Americans see the environmental impacts of recurring oil spills and the associated greenhouse gas emissions that drive the climate crisis. Currently, more than 390 coastal municipalities have formally opposed drilling off their coastline, as has every governor of a state along the West and East Coasts. Alliances representing more than 50,000 businesses have also expressed their opposition.
Congress has a crucial opportunity to end new offshore oil and gas leasing in the Build Back Better Act. We are confident your leadership will help us pass a budget that invests in protecting our coastal communities.
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