Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bills banning offshore drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The Protecting and Securing Florida's Coastline Act (H.R. 205), introduced by Reps. Francis Rooney (R-FL), and Kathy Castor (D-FL), would make permanent the current moratorium on offshore oil and gas leasing off Florida’s Gulf Coast. The Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act (H.R. 1941), introduced by Reps. Joe Cunningham (D-SC) and Francis Rooney (R-FL), would place a permanent moratorium on offshore oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic Ocean, Straits of Florida, and Pacific Ocean.
Companion legislation introduced in the Senate by Sen. Robert Menendez, the COAST Anti-Drilling Act (S.1304), would place a permanent prohibition on offshore drilling in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“The American people broadly reject the Trump administration’s reckless push to sell off our public waters to Big Oil, and the Sierra Club applauds Congress for echoing these calls with today’s historic, bipartisan votes. The American people do not want to see our coasts spoiled by drilling, and Donald Trump’s efforts to do so will continue to face opposition in Congress and in the courts every step of the way.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.