Political Quotes

“I wish to speak in opposition to President Trump's proposal to open all offshore waters in the country to oil drilling. This proposal has been met with outrage from every corner, as my colleagues are making clear here on the Senate floor today. I would like to take a minute to remind everyone of what is at stake. Before the Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez spills, Santa Barbara, CA, experienced the worst oil spill in U.S history. In 1969, an offshore oil rig in Federal waters spilled more than 3 million gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean. The environmental disaster killed thousands of marine mammals and birds. Our local beaches were coated by a thick layer of oil. Tourists were turned away, and commercial fishing operations were shut down, hurting the local economy. After that spill, California decided that enough was enough. State agencies blocked all new offshore oil drilling in State waters up to 3 miles from the shore. The State reinforced this ban with the California Coastal Sanctuary Act in 1994. Through a combination of local ordinances, congressional opposition, and moratoria imposed by Presidents from both parties, our State has also fought off any new drilling in Federal waters beyond 3 miles from the shore since 1984. The Trump administration has now proposed undoing our progress by opening all Federal waters, including the waters off California's coast, to new gas and oil drilling.…”