SACRAMENTO – In response to the Trump Administration announcement today to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters, State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) andAssemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) are reintroducing legislation to ensure that pipelines and other infrastructure cannot be built in California waters to support any new federal oil development.
In the Senate, Jackson will carry Senate Bill 834, also jointly authored by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens). Muratsuchi will carry an identical companion measure, Assembly Bill 1775, in the State Assembly, which will also be jointly authored by Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara).
The reintroduction of a bill that Jackson authored last year that stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, the legislation will protect the California coast by prohibiting the State Lands Commission from approving any new leases for pipelines, piers, wharves, or other infrastructure needed to support new federal oil and gas development in the three-mile area off the coast that is controlled by the state.
It would also prohibit any lease renewal, extension or modification that would support the production, transportation or processing of new oil and gas.
“California’s economy thrives because of our environmental protections. The Trump Administration’s reckless decision to open these waters to further oil development represents a step backward into the outdated, dirty and destructive energy policies of the past. It’s more important than ever that we send a strong statement that California will not be open for drilling along our coast, which could devastate our multi-trillion dollar coastal economy, our coastal waters and marine life,” said Jackson.
“We need to protect our beautiful coast of the South Bay and throughout California. This bill would help protect the health of the residents who live and work near the coast as well as the marine environment. It will also prevent any future oil spills,” said Muratsuchi.
California has had a long-standing bipartisan commitment to protecting its coast from new offshore oil and gas drilling. In 1994, the Legislature passed the California Coastal Sanctuary Act, which prohibited new oil and gas leases in the state’s coastal waters, with some exceptions.
California’s coastal economy produces approximately $44.5 billion in GDP each year and employs almost half a million people in the state.
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.