Dianne Feinstein : Feinstein Opposes Trump’s Offshore Oil Drilling Proposal

Washington-Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration's proposal to permit offshore drilling in nearly all U.S. waters, including six lease proposals for the California coastline:

'The Trump administration's reckless 'drill, baby, drill' approach threatens our oceans and coasts while doing nothing to increase our energy independence. California neither needs nor wants risky new offshore oil rigs, and I'll do all I can to oppose this plan.

'This announcement is especially egregious considering it was just last week that the administration announced it was cutting back on safety requirements for offshore rigs developed after the Deepwater Horizon spill. Giving the oil industry free reign of our federal waters is a disastrous idea.

Santa Barbara spill

'It's particularly shocking that the administration is pushing for new oil drilling off the coast of California. We still remember the horror of the 1969 Santa Barbara spill, when an offshore oil rig leaked more than 100,000 barrels. There has been no new drilling in state waters since that spill and no new drilling in federal waters off the coast of California since 1984.

'The days of drilling for oil are numbered. We have clean energy alternatives that can grow our economy faster without jeopardizing our coastal economies and natural resources. We simply won't tolerate unnecessary and risky new offshore drilling.'

###