Healthy Oceans In the News

A bill calling for a 10-year ban on oil and gas drilling off the Oregon Coast will go to a House vote after passing out of committee Thursday.

Oregon approved a three-year ban in 2007 that expired last month. HB 3613 would extend the ban through 2020 within Oregon's coastal waters, which stretch about 3 and a half miles from shore.

The hearing before the House Committee on Environment and Water drew wide support from environmentalists, the fishing industry and coastal community representatives.

"It's clear most Oregonians don't want oil derricks off our coast," said Brock Howell with Environment Oregon.

Dangers include possible oil spills and toxic chemicals leaking into the ocean and harming fish and wildlife, Howell said.

Initial oil and gas explorations found minimal stores off Oregon's Coast.

The benefit isn't worth the risk to established industries, said Liz Hamilton, executive director of Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association.

"Recent estimates place tourism, ocean sport fishing and commercial fishing in excess of 10 times greater than what could be extracted," she said.

While there's little push to drill off Oregon's coast now, said Brian Doherty with Western States Petroleum Association, Oregon should keep its options open.

"It makes more sense than an outright ban because I think we have an energy policy right now that says we should be weaning ourselves off foreign oil. So where would we be if every state like Oregon said 'not in my backyard.' "

-Stefanie Knowlton