Congresswoman Norma J. Torres Releases Statement on Orange County Oil Spill

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) released the following statement regarding the oil spill off the coast of Southern California. Additionally, Congresswoman Torres signed onto H.R. 653, the West Coast Ocean Protection Act, led by Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02) in the House and Senator Feinstein in the Senate.

"Our environment, coastline, and wildlife are already facing the devastating effects of climate change without reckless corporations causing even more damage," said Rep. Norma J. Torres. "Our state knows that better than most. The oil spill off the coast off Orange County will have long-lasting consequences."

"We need more oversight for the offshore oil industry to prevent future disasters like this one," Rep. Torres continued. "H.R. 653, the West Coast Ocean Protection Act is an important step to getting that oversight, and I'm proud to be a cosponsor. We now know that the company responsible for the spill had more than 100 regulatory violations in the last decade. There's no excuse -- we must do better to stop these failures before they happen."

The West Coast Ocean Protection Act would prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in any area of the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, or Washington.

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