Oceana Celebrates Historic Bills to Permanently Protect U.S. Coastlines from New Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling

A set of bills introduced in April would codify permanent coastal protections for millions of acres of U.S. oceans. These laws would prevent future offshore oil and gas exploration, development, and drilling off coastlines across the United States. The package of legislation, proposed in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, includes:

• The COAST Anti-Drilling Act, introduced by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), which would permanently protect the entire East Coast, fromMaine to Florida, from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production;
• The West Coast Ocean Protection Act, introduced by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), which would permanently protect the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production;
• The Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act, introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), which would permanently protect the Arctic Ocean from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production;
• The Florida Coastal Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL), which would permanently protect the coast of Florida and eastern Gulf of Mexico from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production;
• The Defend Our Coast Act, introduced by Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC), which would permanently protect the Mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production;
• The New England Coastal Protection Act, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI), which would permanently protect the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, along with portions of the North Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, from offshore drilling exploration, development, and production; and
• Multiple bills to protect California’s coastline from offshore drilling.

The bills would exclude all noted areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf from future offshore oil and gas drilling by preventing their inclusion in the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. Also called the Five-Year Plan, this program determines where the federal government will sell leases for offshore drilling over the next half-decade. The legislation would also prevent these areas from being included in new lease sales mandated by Congress. These bills would also prevent seismic airgun blasting, the harmful precursor to drilling. Seismic airguns, when used to search for oil and gas, create one of the loudest human-caused sounds in the ocean, and these blasts can injure and kill marine mammals. “It's time to end the threat of expanded drilling off America’s coasts forever,” said Oceana Campaign Director Joseph Gordon.

“Oceana applauds these Congressional leaders for reintroducing pivotal legislation that would establish permanent protections from offshore oil and gas drilling for millions of acres of ocean. Earth Day is an important reminder that every coastal community deserves healthy oceans and oil-free beaches. This legislation is part of a national movement to safeguard our multi-billion-dollar coastal economies from dirty and dangerous offshore drilling. Congress must swiftly pass these bills into law and reject any expansion of drilling to protect our coasts." Presidents of both parties have used their authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to withdraw vast areas of the coast from offshore drilling. These bills would permanently codify protections spanning the entire Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska. Over the past decade, more than 390 municipalities, 60,000 businesses and 500,000 fishing families – as well as 2,200 elected officials from both parties – have opposed offshore drilling activities off their waters.

For more information on Oceana’s campaign to prevent the expansion of offshore drilling, please click here.

Background

A poll released by Oceana in July 2024 revealed that two-thirds of American voters (64%) support their elected officials protecting U.S. coastlines from new offshore drilling, with similar support among registered voters in coastal states (66%). The poll also found this support grew among youth voters 18 to 29 years of age (70%). A 2021 analysis by Oceana found that ending new leasing could prevent more than $720 billion in damage to people, property, and the environment. The oil industry currently holds more than 2,000 leases, according to a 2023 Oceana report, with 75% of that ocean acreage currently unused.