West Coast Senators Propose Pacific Offshore Drilling Ban

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
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All six senators from the West Coast states — California, Oregon and Washington — are co-sponsoring a bill to permanently ban offshore drilling in the Pacific, in the wake of the catastrophic oil spill that is still spewing into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) are all co-sponsoring the measure.

In a press release, Cantwell’s office said:

The legislation would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permanently protect the $34 billion coastal economies of the three states – which support nearly 570,000 jobs in California, Oregon and Washington. The Senators will also discuss how the spill in the Gulf of Mexico raises new questions about the environmental risks of offshore oil and gas drilling.

In a statement, Cantell said: “It is simply unacceptable to risk irreparable harm to our coastal communities, economies and ecosystems just to feed our oil addiction with a short-term fix.”

Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) has introduced a similar bill in the House. According to Garamendi’s website, the bill currently has 25 cosponsors.

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