California’s U.S. senators are urging President Obama to permanently make West Coast waters off limits to oil drilling before Donald Trump takes office.
California senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer joined fellow Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington, as well as Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, in writing Obama on Wednesday.
“Opening up the coast to more fossil fuel development poses a threat to our oceans and the coastal economies that depend on them… without a permanent withdrawal, we cannot be certain that the coastline would not see new oil and gas development in the future," the senators wrote.
The senators had earlier introduced legislation seeking to permanently ban drilling on the outer continental shelf off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington.
Obama has not allowed new Pacific Ocean oil and gas lease sales during his presidency. But Trump, who has promised to aggressively promote drilling, could reverse course.
The senators wrote that they believe the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act gives Obama the authority to permanently withdraw federal waters from consideration for oil and gas leasing.
Sean Cockerham: 202-383-6016, @seancockerham
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