Jared Huffman: “This amendment would ban leasing for offshore oil and gas drilling off the northern California coast. Offshore drilling…”

“This amendment would ban leasing for offshore oil and gas drilling off the northern California coast. Offshore drilling poses unacceptable risks. Where you drill, you spill. That is why Republican and Democratic Governors on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts have voiced their opposition to any new oil and gas leasing off their coasts. We should not put our oceans, fisheries, coastal communities, economies, and planet at risk just to enrich the fossil fuel industry. While folks were hurting at the pump, Big Oil companies were raking in record profits, and they were sitting on millions of acres of unused leases, capitalizing on the war in Ukraine in order to gouge U.S. consumers. Giving them even more control over our public lands is not necessary, and it won't do a darn thing for consumers. At a time when the climate crisis is ravaging communities across the globe, adding new leases on public lands makes no sense unless you value Big Oil profits above making sure our children have a livable planet. Now, the north coast of California is an amazing, pristine place that I am privileged to represent. It supports a thriving blue economy, including fishing, tourism, and some of the other values that we have heard discussed here today.…”