Panetta Amendment to Block Oil Drilling on Central Coast Passes House

On Thursday, July 23 the House voted on and passed an appropriations bill that included District 20 Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s (D-Carmel Valley) amendment to prohibit funds from being used to open up public lands within the Central Coast for oil and gas leasing. This appropriations bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives and now will be considered by the U.S. Senate. Background:

On Oct. 4, 2019 the Bureau of Land Management’s Central Coast Field Office announced that it would allow new oil and gas leasing proposals on more than 720,000 acres of public land in 11 Central Coast region counties - primarily in Fresno, Monterey, and San Benito counties.

Congressman Panetta vehemently opposed this decision, saying, “The Administration’s decision threatens not just the environment, but also the economy and our communities on the Central Coast.”

In December of 2019 Congressman Panetta introduced the California Central Coast Conservation Act, to establish a moratorium on all new oil and gas leasing on federal public land on the central coast of California. His amendment to the appropriations bill means that – if signed into law – the administration will be prohibited from using federal funding needed to move forward with their plans for oil and gas exploration.

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