Oregon Governor Kate Brown has signed an executive order that bans offshore drilling along its coast on grounds of environmental concerns.
Image: Oregon Governor Kate Brown signs executive order to ban offshore drilling in the state. Photo:courtesy of suwatpo/Freedigitalphotos.net.
The executive order issued by the governor orders the Oregon state agencies to protect the state’s coastal economy by blocking activities related to offshore drilling in pursuit of oil and gas.
Brown said that her executive order permanently bans offshore drilling along the Oregon coast and makes it clear to oil and gas speculators that they cannot buy offshore drilling rights in Oregon.
According to Brown, offshore oil and gas drilling directly threatens the environment, coastal economies, marine fisheries, public health and safety, as well as cultural resources.
Brown said that the Oregon Coast is a very important economic and recreational asset for the state. The coast is said to support nearly 22,000 jobs in its $2bn coastal tourism and recreational industry, and over 5,500 jobs in its $320m commercial and recreational marine fishery.
Further, Brown said that the Oregon Coast has also become an essential habitat for diverse species of plants and animals that rely on its unique ecosystems.
The Oregon Governor revealed that she had asked for an exemption for her state from Trump Administration’s proposal for offshore drilling, in the lines of the exemption given to Florida. However, she could not succeed in getting such an exemption.
Brown said: “Oregonians have a long and proud history of standing up to defend our state. And at a time when the Trump administration is trying to allow oil rigs to be built off nearly every coastline in America, I’m tired of waiting for the federal government to come to its senses and realize that this is a terrible mistake.”
In early September, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed bills to prevent new federal offshore drilling along California’s coast. Brown Jr. also announced the opposition of California to the federal government’s plan to expand oil drilling on public lands in the state.
Prior to that, in April, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a legislation that prevents offshore oil and gas exploration and its production in New Jersey’s ocean waters. The bill, A-839, also stops the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from issuing any permits and approvals for the development of any facility or infrastructure associated with offshore drilling within or outside of New Jersey waters.