Until a 30-year moratorium expired in 2012, drilling for oil off our Atlantic and Pacific coasts had been prohibited. But in 2010, the Obama administration decided to allow oil exploration and drilling off our Eastern Seaboard. It is estimated that about 5 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 38 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas lie beneath federal waters from Florida to Maine. Even so, past court decisions have upheld the right of a state to ban drilling if it threatens its coast or fisheries. Fishing and tourism advocates fear an oil spill or accident could irreparably damage coastal ecosystems. The memory of the damage resulting from BP’s 210 million-gallon Gulf oil spill in 2010 is still fresh in the minds of many. They claim these ecosystems have still not recovered, and say the deepwater drilling industry is still unprepared for the risks involved in endeavors of this magnitude.

In a recent executive order aimed at combating climate change, President Biden has temporarily suspended new leases for oil and gas drilling on federal lands and waters. This action will halt new offshore drilling unless a future president rescinds Biden’s order, or until a law is passed making this change permanent.

Proposed Legislation: H.R.1941 - Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act (116th Congress)
Prospective Sponsor: Rep. Ted Lieu (CA)