Oregon Oil and Gas Drilling Moratorium

Oregon State Legislature passed and Governor Kulongoski signed HB 3613- a bill to restore the moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling within Oregon’s Territorial waters (0-3nm) through 2020. HB 3613 was championed by Representative Ben Cannon and originally began the legislative session as a permanent ban, but was compromised to sunset in 2020 to broaden support. A diverse coalition of conservationists, fishing groups, businesses, and legislators came together to support this bill and reaffirm Oregon’s commitment to statewide planning goal 19 to protect ocean ecosystems, conserve biodiversity and important habitats, and give preference to renewable uses of our ocean. This bill was actively supported by the Siuslaw, Newport, and Portland Chapters with many letters of support, an op-ed piece in a local coastal newspaper, and assistance in getting businesses and organizations to sign on to the support letter. Although there are scarce known quantities of oil and gas in Oregon’s waters, the passage of this bill makes it crystal clear that offshore drilling off Oregon is not the answer. In a time when many other states are looking at opening up their coastal waters, Oregon is sending a strong message to its Federal delegation that the health of our coastline and environmental legacy is more important than short term economic benefits.