On the recordApril 28, 2017
I rise because I am deeply troubled by the Trump administration's executive order expected to be signed today that will potentially expand offshore oil drilling in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. My district, the central coast, knows all too well the havoc wreaked from gas and oil platforms off our coasts. We cannot afford another disastrous oil spill. California's coastal region generates over $1.9 trillion per year in GDP. This order poses a direct threat to our local tourism economies and the success of local businesses, which are undeniably tied to a clean coast and healthy, thriving ocean ecosystem. It is crucial for Congress to pass my bill, H.R. 731, the California Clean Coast Act, to permanently ban drilling off California's coast and to take further action to protect every coastal community across our Nation. ____________________
