releases: https://cunningham.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-passes-cunningham-led-legislation-ban-offshore-drilling
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://cunningham.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-passes-cunningham-led-legislation-ban-offshore-drilling | House Passes Cunningham-Led Legislation to Ban Offshore Drilling | 2019-09-11 | 2019 | 2019-09 | Democrat | House | SC | Joe Cunningham | C001122 | cunningham.house.gov | legacy | H.R. 1941, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, will permanently ban offshore drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts Washington, D.C. Today, Rep. Joe Cunningham's bipartisan legislation to permanently ban offshore oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts passed the U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 1941, The Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, fulfills a major promise of Cunningham's to ensure there is never offshore drilling off South Carolina's coastline. Today the House took definitive action to ensure there are never any oil rigs off South Carolina's shores, said Rep. Joe Cunningham. South Carolinians on both sides of the aisle have sent the message loud and clear: we don't want offshore drilling and we don't need offshore drilling. Now I call on my colleagues in the Senate to heed the call of coastal communities across the country and pass this bill. Watch his speech on the house floor here. Speaking at a press conference earlier in the afternoon, Rep. Cunningham said, We've proven to folks that opposition to offshore drilling is not a partisan issue. In my state of South Carolina, I've worked with coastal mayors up and down our coast and Governor Henry McMaster to oppose offshore drilling. I've been inspired by the work of the South Carolina State House this year to ban the onshore infrastructure necessary for offshore drilling. In Washington, I've been thrilled to have Rep. Francis Rooney's support introducing this bill. Prior to passage, Cunningham urged his colleagues to put people over politics saying, We, as Members of this institution, have an obligation to not only respond to current events but also to anticipate future problems and work to prevent them. You don't wait for a bridge to break to fix its foundation. You don't wait for the hurricane to hit before boarding up your windows. And you don't wait for an oil spill to realize offshore drilling isn't worth jeopardizing a booming tourist economy. Congressman Rooney stated, The economic and environmental risks to our coastal economies which offshore drilling creates far outweigh any potential benefits. Seismic testing and drilling threaten our fish and marine mammal populations. The industrial infrastructure needed to support offshore drilling, and ultimately offshore production of oil and gas, is wholly incompatible with the economies of our coastal communities. Passage of H.R. 1941 is a great step forward in protecting our waters, our economy, and our future. Representatives Cunningham, Rooney and Castor should be applauded for putting politics aside and coming together to protect our coasts from offshore drilling, said Diane Hoskins, campaign director at Oceana. Today's vote to permanently ban offshore drilling underscores the strength of bipartisan opposition to President Trump's radical drilling plan. Opening nearly all our waters to dirty and dangerous drilling is out of touch with every East and West Coast governor. Offshore drilling threatens our fishing, tourism and recreation industries and everyone who calls the coast home. But the fight is not over and we must not give up until permanent protections are established or President Trump's plan is officially off the table. We have a duty to protect our waters, marine life, coastal communities and all they support from the risks of offshore drilling and the certainty of another spill. And we can't afford to lock ourselves into decades of more carbon pollution that's driving rising seas, storms and epic floods. This bill protects our coasts - and our future. It deserves the support of every member who cares about protecting our coasts and communities for today and future generations, said Alexandra Adams, Legislative Director, Nature Program, Natural Resources Defense Council. Our ocean and coastal communities are too valuable to risk reckless, unnecessary and irresponsible expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling. Ocean Conservancy thanks Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC) for championing legislation that could permanently protect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts from drilling. By passing H.R. 1941, House members have put their constituents first and recognize that our ocean transcends politics, said Janis Searles Jones, CEO, Ocean Conservancy. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |