[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 92 (Tuesday, June 5, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H4763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DEFENDING OUR COAST

  (Mr. McEACHIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve policies that 
will protect our planet, keep loved ones healthy, and preserve access 
to clean air, water, and land for future generations.
  Lately, there has been a relentless assault on the environmental 
policies that were crafted to protect us, including the commonsense 
prohibition of offshore drilling in the Atlantic. Despite the Defense 
Department stating that offshore drilling may impede and hamper 
military readiness activities, the American people were told that our 
oceans were open for exploitation.
  Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. That is why, today, I introduced 
the bipartisan Defend Our Coast Act with my friend, Congressman Walter 
Jones of North Carolina. The Defend Our Coast Act will prohibit the 
Department of the Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, 
development, or production of oil and gas on the Outer Continental 
Shelf in the mid-Atlantic.
  Prior tragedies such as Deepwater Horizon's oil spill proved that 
drilling accidents can be dangerous, expensive, and life-threatening. 
Mr. Speaker, I urge you to bring the Defend Our Coast Act up for a 
vote. Offshore drilling negatively impacts our coastal communities. It 
is not worth the risk.
  Let us commit ourselves to leaving the Earth a healthier and safer 
place for future generations.

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