Statement of Environment California Legislative Director
Dan Jacobson
“We’ve won this round, but the fight to protect California’s
coast from offshore drilling is far from over. This was round two in an
expected summer long title fight to safeguard California’s
environment and economy from the harmful effects of increased offshore
drilling.
We know that the powerful allies of the oil industry will be
dangling numerous ill-conceived compromises in front of Congress in the weeks
and months to come. We hope the opposition against offshore drilling
exhibited today by our representatives will hold.
Offshore oil and gas drilling is the slowest,
dirtiest and most expensive way to produce energy. Opening our coasts to more
destructive drilling would do little to lower prices of natural gas or gasoline
or make us energy independent, but it would threaten our beaches with
pollution, potential oil spills and put at risk multi-billion dollar coastal
tourism and recreation economies.
There are cheaper, cleaner, faster and longer-term energy solutions such as increasing
energy efficiency and using clean, renewable energy that will reduce energy
costs for families.”
Here is the list of members of the California
delegation who voted for the amendment to the Department of the Interior
Appropriations bill (a vote for the amendment was a vote to protect the coast).
Republicans: Bono, Calvert, Campbell, Dreier, Gallegly, Royce
Democrats: Baca, Becerra, Berman, Capps, Cardoza, Costa, Davis, Eshoo, Farr,
Filner, Harman, Honda, Lantos, Lee, Lofgren, Lee, Matsui, Millender-McDonald,
Miller, Napolitano, Roybal-Allard, Pelosi, Linda Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez,
Schiff, Sherman, Solis, Stark, Tauscher, Thompson, Waters, Watson, Waxman,
Woolsey.
