Press Releases

Today, Rep. Salud Carbajal joined local advocates, environmental and business leaders, and community members at Shoreline Park for a press conference to celebrate Wednesday’s House passage of the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act (H.R. 1941). This bill bans future offshore oil and gas leasing off the U.S. coasts, and includes Carbajal’s California Clean Coast Act (H.R. 279) within it.

Rep. Carbajal kicked off the press conference and was joined by Linda Krop, Chief Counsel of the Environmental Defense Center; Michael Lyons, President of Get Oil Out!; Dennis Allen, Chairman of Allen Construction; Ben Pitterle, Science and Policy Director of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper; Corley Kenna, Director of Global Communications and Public Relations for Patagonia; and Sigrid Wright, CEO of Community Environmental Council; as well as Central Coast community leaders, and other environmental and business advocates. The participants joined together to speak out against the influence of big oil and celebrate this win.

“This week in the House we said ‘NO’ to offshore oil and gas drilling. Here at home, our community is standing up to say the same: We won’t compromise our values, economy and environment for the perils of offshore oil,” said Rep. Salud Carbajal. “Our Central Coast knows the devastation of oil spills—our wildlife and economy cannot endure another. That’s why I’m so proud to have passed the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act that includes my bill to ban offshore drilling off of California’s coast. We must take bold climate action now, our kids and grandkids are counting on us to preserve this planet.”

“This bill will restore protections for the California Coast that existed for decades before Trump’s proposed offshore leasing plan,” said Linda Krop, Chief Counsel of the Environmental Defense Center. “We need this legislation to ensure that our coast is not threatened with another oil spill like we experienced a few years ago. Offshore oil development is an idea that has passed its time; we must transition to clean, renewable energy.”

“Patagonia was founded along this stretch of California’s iconic coastline almost 45 years ago, and we are still here today because of this area’s natural beauty, wildlife and surf break. It’s worth so much more than the oil beneath us,” said Corley Kenna, Director of Global Communications and Public Relations at Patagonia. “Over 150 million people come annually to visit our beaches, and, in doing so, support restaurants, hotels, grocery stores and countless other businesses. We applaud the passage of the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act and will continue to work to protect our coast and ocean from any new offshore drilling: for the sake of our communities, our economy and our environment.”

"Oil development seeks to rampantly continue as demonstrated by the Federal government's desire to drill off of our coastline,” said Michael Lyons, President of Get Oil Out! “GOO! is hopeful for a more sustainable energy path into the future and is greatly concerned in regards to the potential catastrophic effects of oil spills caused by new drilling off our coastline. GOO! strongly supports the passing of HR 1941."

The passage of  the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act is crucial for Central Coast communities who have seen the devastation of the 1969 Santa Barbara and 2015 Plains All American Pipeline oil spills, and whose economies are directly tied to clean coasts and healthy ecosystems.