Padilla, Schiff Introduce Legislation to Hold Big Oil Accountable, Establish Strict Standards for Offshore Operators

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) introduced legislation to establish strict standards for offshore oil and gas operators and set requirements to hold them responsible for decommissioning and cleanup efforts off our coast. U.S. Representative Dave Min (D-Calif.-47) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"California's coast is not Big Oil's dumping ground. Offshore operators must meet strong safety and environmental standards - and if they profit from drilling, they should also be responsible for the full cost of cleanup and decommissioning," said Senator Padilla. "As the Trump Administration rolls back environmental protections and expands offshore drilling, our legislation would ensure oil companies can't evade accountability, abandon aging infrastructure, or stick California taxpayers and coastal communities with the consequences."

"As the Trump Administration blatantly attacks environmental protections and renewable energy projects to enrich the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our environment and public health, we must ensure that we are holding Big Oil accountable. This legislation will establish strong safety and environmental guardrails and ensure that oil companies can't just walk away from decommissioned projects and leave someone else to clean up the mess," said Senator Schiff.

The Offshore Leasing Standards and Accountability Act sets minimum qualifications for offshore leaseholders, including fitness to operate rules; requires annual reviews of their property by the Department of the Interior; requires disclosure of decommissioning, safety, and environmental records; creates decommissioning escrow accounts; and restricts fossil fuel companies from abandoning wells.

This legislation is endorsed by The Center for Biological Diversity, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, True Transition, Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast, and Healthy Gulf.

Padilla has been leading the attack against big oil and gas leases. In December, Padilla and Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.-02) led 26 members of the California Democratic Congressional delegation in condemning the Trump Administration's official draft 2027-2032 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program that includes six lease proposals off the coast of Northern, Central, and Southern California. Last year, Padilla and Huffman, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Representative Frank Pallone (D-N.J.-06), announced the West Coast Ocean Protection Act and the Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act, a pair of bills to permanently protect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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