[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 65 (Thursday, April 10, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S2566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mr. Booker, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Merkley, 
        Mrs. Murray, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Markey, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Schiff, 
        and Mr. Whitehouse):
  S. 1432. A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to 
permanently prohibit oil and gas exploration, development, and 
production on the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, 
Oregon, and Washington; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the West Coast 
Ocean Protection Act of 2025. This crucial piece of legislation would 
amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1978 to permanently 
prohibit offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast 
of California, Oregon, and Washington.
  It has been over 50 years since a major oilspill occurred off the 
coast of Santa Barbara, which inspired the first Earth Day and the 
modern environmental movement that we see today. Despite this 
catastrophic incident, California has still a experienced subsequent 
oilspills, which is unacceptable since these environmental incidents 
are preventable. I hope my colleagues can join me in understanding that 
the tradeoff between oil production and environmental harm is simply 
not one we should be making any longer.
  The oil spills in California have had drastic impacts, including oil 
seeping into environmentally sensitive wetlands, endangering birds and 
other wildlife, and forcing the closure of beaches that are the 
economic engines of entire communities.
  We must end our reliance on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels and work 
towards a clean energy future, because even when oil isn't leaking from 
pipelines, it is fueling the crisis of global warming, poisoning local 
communities, and causing billions of dollars of harm each year.
  Fossil fuels are endangering Californian families and fueling raging 
wildfires and extreme drought--as well as toxic oilspills. I want to 
recognize the late Senator Feinstein for spearheading this bill year 
after year during her time in Congress, and I urge my colleagues to 
join me in supporting this bill to improve our coastal safety and 
protect our communities.
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