Blunt Rochester Votes to Protect Delaware's Coast from Offshore Drilling

Statement

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a member of the Environment & Climate Change Subcommittee, today voted to pass the Protecting and Securing Florida's Coastline Act (H.R. 205), which blocks new offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act (H.R. 1941), which blocks new offshore drilling along the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. The two bills are a direct rejection of President Trump's vow to open new leasing in vulnerable American waters, which his administration has pursued despite offshore drilling's poor safety track record and the fact that coastal economies would be devastated by another Deepwater Horizon-type spill.

"Delawareans know well the value of our cherished natural resources and pristine shoreline.," said Rep. Blunt Rochester. "This Administration's insistence on moving forward with dangerous offshore drilling jeopardizes those natural resources and is not in America's best interest. We can and must continue to advance domestic energy production by investing in clean, renewable energy. I was proud to join my colleagues in protecting Delaware's coastline and coastal communities across the nation."

Offshore drilling does not represent a meaningful long-term economic opportunity for the country, especially compared to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, which are the nation's fastest and second fastest growing job sectors respectively. Pentagon officials have warned against drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico for years, calling it incompatible with training needs.

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