California’s coastline may have secured an extra layer of protection Tuesday, when the California State Lands Commission adopted a resolution to ban offshore drilling off the Pacific Coast.
If passed, the Outer Continental Shelf of the Pacific Ocean would be closed to new oil development, due to drilling’s enormous consequences on the environment. Instead, efforts would be made to transition to clean renewable energy.
Fears about how this will affect the job market were dismissed by Lieutenant Governor and Commissioner Gavin Newsom.
“California’s economy cannot stride forward confidently into the future by turning backwards. Our state has demonstrated economic growth through environmental stewardship, not despite it,” Newsom said. “Be assured that we will stand up, step in, and protect California’s natural resources and robustly oppose damaging oil development in federal waters near our coastline.”
The resolution will be sent to state and federal elected officials next.CaliforniaCalifornia State Lands CommissionGovernor NewsomOil drillingPacific coast
