Congresswoman Nancy PelosiI commend my colleagues for offering this important amendment, particularly Congresswoman Capps, whose vigilance and leadership on this issue never flags.
It is for good reasons that Californians from all walks of life oppose drilling for oil off our coast.
All it would take is one spill - like the blowout that dumped 4 million gallons
of crude oil in the Santa Barbara Channel in 1969 - to devastate the marine
environment, eliminate tourism along a long stretch of our beautiful coast,
and destroy commercial and recreational fishing for years to come.
And for what?
There is little oil available and what is there is of low-quality oil.
It is primarily used to make asphalt.
So let me see if I've got this right: In exchange for hundreds of miles of lovely beaches, thousands of marine mammals, millions of tiny sea creatures, and billions of dollars in tourism and fishing revenues, we would get - asphalt?!
Mr. Chairman, this is a bipartisan issue.
It was President Bush's father, President George H. W. Bush who in 1990 placed a 10-year moratorium on new oil leases off the California coast.
President Clinton renewed that moratorium in 1998.
We in California were happy in May for our friends in Florida when President Bush announced a buyout of federal oil leases off the coast of Florida.
Now we call on the President to do the same for the 36 oil and gas leases threatening California - even though his brother is not the Governor of our state.
I also urge the Bush Administration to drop its opposition to California's activities under the Coastal Zone Management Act.
The Act gives the state the authority to review the potential environmental effects of offshore drilling.
My colleagues, your vote for the Capps-Rahall-Miller amendment is your endorsement of termination of the California offshore leases.
Please vote yes.
