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Prohibits the Secretary from issuing leases or any other authorization for exploring, developing, or producing oil or natural gas in four Pacific offshore planning areas off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California as defined in BOEM’s 2024–2029 leasing program materials. The ban covers the Washington/Oregon, Northern California, Central California, and Southern California planning areas and blocks federal leasing or permitting for oil and gas activities in those areas. The change amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to create a statutory bar on new federal oil and gas authorizations in these specified planning areas, affecting federal leasing decisions, coastal economies, and companies that had planned or hoped to pursue offshore oil and gas projects there.
Amends Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act by adding a new subsection (q) titled “Prohibition of Oil and Gas Exploration, Development, and Production in Certain Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf.”
Notwithstanding any other law, the Secretary shall not issue a lease or any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in the planning areas described in paragraph (2).
Defines the planning areas covered by the prohibition as the Washington/Oregon Planning Area, the Northern California Planning Area, the Central California Planning Area, and the Southern California Planning Area.
Specifies that the planning areas are those depicted in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program (published September 29, 2023) and references the Federal Register notice of availability (88 Fed. Reg. 67798, October 2, 2023).
Who is affected and how:
Coastal shoreline communities (California, Oregon, Washington): These communities may see reduced risk of oil-spill impacts and changes to coastal environmental risk profiles; the prohibition could support tourism, fisheries, and coastal economy priorities tied to clean coasts, while foreclosing local economic activity tied to new offshore oil and gas development and related jobs.
Commercial and recreational fishers: Bans on new oil and gas authorizations lower the chance of future drilling-related impacts to fisheries habitat and fishing operations in the affected offshore waters, potentially protecting fisheries resources and livelihoods that depend on marine health.
State governments of California, Oregon, and Washington: States gain a federal statutory restriction that aligns with many coastal conservation and climate goals; it limits the potential for federal oil and gas development that might conflict with state coastal management and environmental objectives.
Federal agencies (BOEM, Department of the Interior): Agencies responsible for offshore leasing and permitting must follow the statutory prohibition, altering planning, lease sale schedules, and any pending or future efforts to prepare leases/authorizations for those planning areas.
Offshore oil and gas companies (exploration, development, production): Companies lose the ability to receive federal leases or authorizations for oil and gas activities in those specific planning areas, which affects corporate exploration plans, investment decisions, and potential future revenue streams (royalties, production).
Energy markets and federal revenues: The ban could modestly affect long-term domestic oil and gas supply scenarios and expected federal lease royalties from those areas. The immediate budgetary impact is likely limited because it does not alter existing spending or current leases, but it could reduce potential future receipts tied to new leases.
Environment and climate outcomes: Preventing new offshore oil and gas authorizations in these areas reduces the risk of new drilling-related environmental harm and aligns with emissions-reduction and coastal-protection objectives.
Practical considerations:
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Alejandro Padilla · Last progress April 10, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Introduced in Senate