CA governor asks Obama to ban offshore oil drilling • Earth.com

CA governor asks Obama to ban offshore oil drilling

12-15-2016

CA governor asks Obama to ban offshore gas and oil drilling

This week, California Gov. Jerry Brown formally asked President Barack Obama to permanently ban all new offshore gas and oil drilling in the state.

“California is blessed with hundreds of miles of spectacular coastline, home to scenic state parks, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife, and thriving communities,” said Brown. “Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change.”

In the final weeks of his presidency, Obama is working to finalize as many environmental protections as possible before Donald Trump takes office. Brown remarked that he is unsure whether Trump would have the power to overturn a permanent prohibition.

Last month, President Obama unveiled a plan that bans any new oil drilling off the coast of California, Washington, or Oregon until 2020.

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