King bill would bar offshore drilling in Maine waters

Offshore oil and gas drilling would be prohibited in Maine waters under federal legislation cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.

The Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling (COAST) Act would permanently ban the U.S. Department of Interior from issuing leases for the exploration, development, or production of oil and gas in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida Planning Areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

In Maine, the Atlantic commercial fishery produces nearly $1 billion annually, and, in 2021, tourists — many of whom come to visit the coast — brought $7.9 billion to the state. Offshore drilling would jeopardize these key industries, according to King.

“Maine’s fisheries and coastal communities rely on a healthy Atlantic Ocean to support their livelihoods,” he said in a Monday news release. “Offshore oil drilling would pose an immense threat to this delicate ecosystem and the economies, people, and environmental surroundings it supports.

“As we respond to global energy crises caused by military conflicts and climate change, we must work together to find practical, fiscally responsible, clean energy solutions that can protect Maine communities and the Atlantic Ocean.”

King is a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and a founding member of the Climate Solutions Caucus, and has consistently advocated for policies that protect fisheries and coastal communities from the harmful effects of drilling for oil and gas.

He has also repeatedly spoken out against any drilling off the coast of Maine. After the Interior Department released its proposed plan for offshore drilling during the Trump Administration, he joined with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in sending a letter to then-Secretary Ryan Zinke expressing their opposition to the plan.

Later that month, King and Collins joined fellow New England senators in introducing the New England Coastal Protection Act to bar offshore drilling along the region’s coast.