California just struck a major blow against Trump’s offshore drilling plans
The war between coastal governors and the Trump administration over offshore drilling escalated this weekend, as California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a pair of bills that would effectively prevent new drilling projects off the state’s coasts.
The bills would accomplish its goal by “prohibiting new leases for new construction of oil and gas-related infrastructure, such as pipelines, within state waters if the federal government authorizes any new offshore oil leases.”
Governor Brown did not mince as he signed the bill on Saturday, taking aim directly at the president. “Not here, not now,” said Governor Brown. “We will not let the federal government pillage public lands and destroy our treasured coast.”
This move shouldn’t come as a surprise to followers of California lawmakers, who have made ambitious environmental policies a cornerstone in recent years. The state has bucked Trump’s embrace of dirty energy by investing in renewable energy projects. And an ambitious bill that would see the state attempt to fill all of its electricity needs from clean sources has moved its way from the state legislature to the governor’s desk.
arbyreed