REGION – Le 49^e The district congressman wants to ban offshore drilling along the southern California coast.

Representative Mike Levin (D-San Juan Capistrano) introduced the American Coasts and Oceans Protection Act to prohibit any new leasing for the exploration, development or production of oil or natural gas along the coast of San Diego on the northern border of San Luis Obispo County.

The House Natural Resources Committee plans to hold a hearing on the bill and other offshore drilling laws on Thursday, May 13. Levin is a member of the House Natural Resources Committee and the Special House Committee on the Climate Crisis.

Currently, there are 23 oil and gas drilling rigs in federal waters off the California coast. His bill would prevent further drilling operations from arising and potentially threatening the coastline with oil spills.

For Levin, the environmental consequences outweigh the economic benefits that offshore drilling could offer. Rather than allowing more offshore drilling, Levin wants to protect resources that already benefit California and the region’s economy.

“The millions of people here want to see safe, clean beaches and have access to clean water,” Levin told The Coast News. “When we think about the impact of drilling and the millions of gallons that have been dumped into the ocean as a result of oil spills, we just don’t need more drilling.”

The ocean economy of San Diego and Orange counties contributes approximately $ 7.7 billion in economic activity and provides more than 140,000 jobs in coastal tourism and recreation.

California’s coastal fishing, tourism and recreation together support nearly 600,000 jobs and approximately $ 42.3 billion in economic activity.

In 2019, a bipartisan group of delegates from across San Diego County, including Supervisor Jim Desmond and mayors of Encinitas, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Oceanside, San Marcos and San Juan Capistrano, opposed the proposal. of the Trump administration to expand offshore drilling operations along the California Coast, as previously reported by The Coast News.

More than four million gallons of oil were released into the Pacific Ocean as a result of the Santa Barbara eruption in 1969, the Refugio Beach spill in 2015, and various other leaks from oil rigs and l pipeline activity. It affected over 935 square miles of ocean.

Levin believes that unlike the previous Trump administration, which was looking for more opportunities to drill along the southern California coast, the Biden administration is on the same page as the congressman when he goes. acts to prohibit or limit oil and gas drilling. His bill would prevent any future administration from challenging this position.

Levin’s proposal to ban offshore drilling has received strong support from the Surfrider Foundation as well as the Oceana Campaign and the Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast.

“From toxic oil spills to accelerating climate devastation, we cannot afford more offshore drilling,” said Diane Hoskins, Oceana’s campaign manager. “We need to end new leases for offshore drilling for good and switch to clean, renewable energy sources like offshore wind to create jobs and fuel our clean energy future.”