Rep. Carbajal’s 8-Year Push to Ban New Offshore Drilling Off Central Coast Completed as President Biden Takes Sweeping Executive ActionOffshore drilling ban covers entire California Coast, including the area between the new Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Washington,
January 6, 2025
Tags:
Environment and Energy
President Joe Biden followed through today on Congressman Salud Carbajal’s (CA-24) request to ban future offshore drilling off the Central Coast by taking new executive action shielding over 625 million acres of federal waters from oil and gas exploration. The request was the latest push by Rep. Carbajal to enact these protections, something he has pushed for since introducing the ban as his first-ever bill in 2017. “The Central Coast knows all too well the damage and devastation that can come from an oil spill. That’s why I made it my mission from my first bill in Congress to permanently ban offshore drilling off our coast. And with President Biden’s help today, this goal is now reality,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I deeply appreciate all the Central Coast residents and stakeholders who have spoken up during these past four years to encourage the President to follow through on this ban, which builds on his already impressive climate legacy. Together, we have passed the largest climate actions in U.S. history, shielded communities and ecosystems across our nation, and even created lasting testaments to our environment like the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.” In November, Congressman Carbajal was one of 12 members of Congress who wrote to President Biden requesting this action before the end of his term. The area covered by today’s executive action covers the entire California Coast, including the federal waters between the newly-designated Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary and the existing Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This comes after Rep. Carbajal had lobbied the White House to enact protections for areas not included in the first phase of the new marine sanctuary. Congressman Carbajal has worked since his first day in Congress to ban future offshore drilling. Carbajal introduced that ban as his first piece of legislation – the California Clean Coast Act – in January 2017 on the anniversary of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, in which 100,000 barrels of crude oil were spilled into the waters off of California's Central Coast. |
