[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 117 (Wednesday, July 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1996

                                 ______


                               speech of

                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 18, 1995

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration of the bill (H.R. 1977), 
     making appropriations for the Department of the Interior and 
     related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     1996, and for other purposes:

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in opposition to any 
effort to alter the longstanding ban on offshore oil drilling on the 
California coast.
  As I am sure that you are well aware, the House Appropriations 
Committee voted on June 27, 1995, by a 33 to 20 margin, to continue a 
ban on oil and gas drilling operations on the Outer Continental Shelf. 
The vote reversed an earlier vote by the Appropriations Interior 
Subcommittee to remove the moratorium, which has been maintained for 
the last several years as part of the annual Interior Department 
appropriations bill.
  I have been closely following this issue for many years. I have 
written to Chairman Livingston, Appropriations, Chairman Regula, 
Subcommittee on the Interior, and to Chairman Young, Resources, to 
maintain the ban. I have tried to encourage members of Appropriations, 
and whoever would listen to my pleas, to include the ban in their 
appropriations bill.
  I believe that the Congress must operate in accordance with 
California's interests in this regard. Governor Wilson has made it 
clear that Californians are in favor of the moratorium. In fact, the 
State of California recently enacted a permanent ban on all new 
offshore oil development in State coastal waters. Californians agree 
that the environmental sensitivities along the entire California 
coastline make the region an inappropriate place to drill for oil using 
current technology. The 1989 National Academy of Sciences [NAS] study 
confirmed that one exploration and drilling on existing leases and on 
undeveloped leases in the same area would be detrimental to the 
environment.
  The findings of the NAS study encouraged me to introduce legislation 
on the opening day of this Congress to address the offshore oil 
drilling issue for California. My bill, H.R. 219, would prohibit the 
sale of new offshore leases in the southern, central, and northern 
California planning areas through the year 2005. In other words, H.R. 
219 will ensure that there is no drilling or exploration along the 
California coast unless the most knowledgeable scientists inform us 
that it is absolutely safe to do so.
  Unfortunately, the moratorium, as included in the Interior 
appropriations bill, is only extended through October 1996. Therefore, 
I am hopeful that my legislation will allow for the moratorium to be 
extended on a longer-term basis until environmental and economic 
concerns can be addressed.
  For all these reasons, I commend the committee for including the 
moratorium and will oppose any effort that would allow for oil and gas 
drilling on our U.S. shoreline.


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