Oregon is poised to permanently ban offshore drilling and to prohibit any drilling infrastructure from crossing state waters.

A Senate committee heard testimony Tuesday on Senate Bill 256, which would make permanent an existing 10-year drilling moratorium, which is set to expire next year.

“We don’t want offshore oil drilling, not in Oregon, not now, not ever,” said Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, who is one of the bill’s 22 sponsors. “The potential benefits out there for this kind of exploration are speculative and limited, but the potential consequences are dire.”

The bill hasn’t faced any opposition, and sponsors said they expect bipartisan support.

A year ago, the Trump administration proposed allowing oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Oregon and Washington for the first time, and offering new leases in California for the first time since 1984. Its plan also would open drilling in new areas of the Arctic, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Since then, five coastal Oregon cities have adopted resolutions opposing offshore drilling. More than 100 Oregon businesses have joined the West Coast’s Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific, which opposes offshore drilling. And Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order making it state policy to oppose offshore drilling. FULL STORY

– Tracy Loew | Salem Statesman Journal