State Senate approves official opposition to dangerous plan that would open up California’s coastline to offshore oil leases

McGuire, North Coast Fishermen, environmental organizations and small business leaders to rally at the capitol Thursday

Sacramento, CA – Senator Mike McGuire successfully advanced a bipartisan resolution today opposing President Trump’s proposal to open up California’s coastline to offshore oil leases, putting the legislature officially on record in opposition.

Last month, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced plans for a program that would include nearly the entire U.S. Outer Continental Shelf for potential oil and gas lease sales pursuant to President Trump’s energy plans. The proposed program would open up 6 leases off the coast of California, which would be the first sale in the Pacific Region since 1984.

To make matters worse, the only public hearing in the entire state of California on the Trump administration's dangerous plan to reopen the California coast to offshore oil drilling is this Thursday in Sacramento.

“President Trump’s offshore drilling proposal is a complete giveaway to his buds in Big Oil. In addition to making the California coast ground zero for new oil drilling, the plan guts environmental protections that have been hard-fought and won over decades,” Senator Mike McGuire said. “The State of California will fight back against this dangerous proposal in the legislature, in the courts and ultimately at the ballot box.”

Senator McGuire is also the Principal Co-Author of legislation in the state senate (SB 834) that will prohibit any refining, loading or transporting of crude from any of President Trump’s proposed new oil rigs here on California soil.

California’s iconic coast is one of our state’s most important environmental and economic resources. The California coast attracts over 150 million visitors every year and the Golden State’s coastal economy is worth $40 billion and nearly a half million jobs are dependent on a healthy coast.

Senator McGuire is leading the fight to forever protect California’s coast from offshore oil drilling and introduced Senate Resolution 73, which received bipartisan approval by the State Senate today with overwhelming numbers: 29 in support, 4 opposed.

On Thursday, Senator McGuire will enter the Senate Resolution as official public comment at the Bureau of Ocean Management’s hearing, which will take place on Thursday, February 8, between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Prior to the hearing, Senator McGuire along with other legislators representing California’s coastline, fishermen, environmental organizations and small business leaders will rally on the steps of the capitol at 1:30, before marching to the library for a press conference at 2:30 p.m.

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