This week, Rep. Scott Peters (CA-52) voted to pass three bills to prevent offshore drilling along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, off the eastern shore of the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, and Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act all passed the House with bipartisan support.

Last week, Rep. Peters called for an immediate permanent ban of offshore drilling at a press conference with Oceana in San Diego, citing an oil rig blowout along the Santa Barbara coast 50 years ago that resulted in an oil slick 35 miles long–the largest spill to occur off California’s coast.

“San Diego and other coastal communities cannot afford the risks offshore drilling poses to our environment, economy, and way of life. These bills reject the Trump Administration’s continued attack on environmental standards and consumer protections as well as their denial of the transition away from oil and other fossil fuels. I voted to support these bills because we can’t risk another disastrous spill, like Deepwater Horizon. San Diego and California are leading the way toward our clean energy future. We should not risk our environment for outdated and dangerous modes of obtaining energy,” said Rep. Peters.

Less than a decade ago, the most disastrous oil spill in U.S. history occurred when Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and killed 11 people, harmed 26,000 marine animals, and spilled 130 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It cost $65 billion to clean up and hurt the Gulf’s environmental health and tourism for years.