Hundreds of State Legislators Oppose Offshore Oil Drilling

— from Dave Pringle, Senate Democratic Caucus —

In response to the Trump administration’s proposal to open nearly all offshore waters to oil and gas drilling, 227 state legislators from 17 coastal states signed a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke opposing the drilling plan.

The letter, spearheaded by Washington state Sen. Kevin Ranker and California State Sen. Kevin de León, cites numerous issues over offshore drilling. These range from large-scale, irreparable damage caused by oil spills, to long-term damage to coastal economies in the wake of such disasters.

“This reckless proposal opens shorelines to new oil and gas drilling, putting Washington state and the entire country’s economy and marine environment at risk of a catastrophic oil spill,” said Ranker. “States across the country are standing up together against the Trump administration to protect our communities, our marine and coastal ecosystems and our economies.”

In Washington state, the maritime industry supports $21.4 billion in business revenues, 69,500 jobs, and $4.7 billion in wages. This includes:

• $9.4 billion in commercial fishing and seafood supporting 15,900 jobs; and
• $4.3 billion in business revenue at the ports of Tacoma and Seattle supporting 18,900 jobs.

Washington state recreational fishing alone accounts for $6.1 billion in annual spending and 14,250 jobs. An oil spill on par with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico would devastate maritime industries..

“Californians overwhelmingly oppose offshore drilling,” said de León. “It’s dangerous, it’s shortsighted, and the risks dramatically outweigh the benefits. We need to build the clean energy infrastructure of the future, not compromise our oceans and coastal economies with offshore oil wells.”

NOAA reports that coastal communities alone provide 45 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. Furthermore, California, Oregon and Washington combined represent the fifth largest economy in the world, a level of prosperity that would not be achieved without their ocean-dependent industries.

This leasing program seeks to open a majority of the United States’ outer continental shelf to oil and gas exploration and construction, representing the first time in decades that many states’ coastal communities would be exposed to such development and potential for harm. The majority of coastal states stand opposed.

The full text of the letter is available here.