California’s two Democratic senators are introducing a bill Wednesday aimed at imposing stricter requirements on offshore oil and gas operators as the Trump administration pushes new production off their state’s coast.
The “Offshore Leasing Standards and Accountability Act,” shared first with POLITICO, would set new minimum standards for operators to hold offshore leases, require annual compliance reviews by the Interior Department and mandate operators hold enough money in escrow to pay the full cost of decommissioning their rigs.
The bill would “ensure that oil companies can’t just walk away from decommissioned projects and leave someone else to clean up the mess,” said Sen. Adam Schiff, who is leading the bill alongside Sen. Alex Padilla. Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.) is introducing a House companion.
The legislation comes as the Trump administration has ordered the restart of the Sable oil pipeline system off of Southern California and proposed new lease sales off the state’s coast for the first time in four decades.
