Oregon’s fogged, dark ocean has long provided both cultural and economic sustenance for surrounding communities. Whale watching, cold-water surfing, clam digging, majestic ocean-view hikes–Oregon’s coast is a big part of who we are as Oregonians. But, offshore drilling for oil and gas could threaten everything we love about the coast. That’s why we need to urge our senators to pass Senate Bill 256.
Senate Bill 256 would effectively ban oil and gas drilling off the Oregon coast. That means Oregon’s territorial waters would be safe from the increased risk of oil spills, heavy metal pollution, and ecosystem disruption caused by offshore drilling. This is a huge opportunity to protect Oregon for the future! The senate will be voting on the bill early next week, and we need to make sure that it passes.
So much is at stake. Oregon’s corner of the Pacific Ocean is one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world. These cold, nutrient-rich waters are home to a wide diversity of species, from salmon to Dungeness crab to gray whales. We can’t put that at risk. And, with climate change growing ever more urgent, we can’t allow new fossil fuel infrastructure to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.