WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Representatives from Virginia and North Carolina introduced the bipartisan Defend Our Coast Act to prevent offshore drilling.
Elaine Luria (VA-02), A. Donald McEachin (VA-04), and Walter B. Jones (NC-03) co-introduced the bill to prohibit the Department of Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, development or production of oil or gas on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Mid-Atlantic.
This is Congresswoman Luria's first co-sponsorship of congressional legislation.
“Offshore drilling is a direct threat to my district. It has the potential to hurt our environment, our military, and our economy,” Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02) said in a press release. “As a 20-year Navy veteran who trained off the Virginia coast, I know that having to dodge oil platforms would disrupt operations, impact readiness, and undermine our national security. And as an oceanfront small business owner, I know what offshore drilling could do to Virginia’s shorelines, tourism industry, and aquaculture. I’m proud to work across state lines and party lines to ensure that we can ban offshore drilling in the Hampton Roads region and beyond.”
Additional cosponsors of the legislation include Representatives Don Beyer, Gerald Connolly, David Price, and Bobby Scott.
In 2017, the Trump Administration issues an executive order to overturn the commonsense prohibition of offshore drilling, including off much of the Atlantic coast.
