A Santa Barbara congressman introduced a bill to try to block new oil and gas drilling proposed by the Trump Administration on some federal land on the Central and South Coasts. The bill would prohibit the Bureau of Land Management from authorizing new oil or gas leasing until comprehensive environmental impact studies are completed.
The federal government proposed opening 1.2 million acres of BLM administered land in the state to development. The plan for new oil and gas drilling prompted a number of lawsuits from the state, and environmental groups seeking to block it.
The proposed new legislation is authored by Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara, with Democratic Congresswoman Julia Brownley of Westlake Village stepping up as a co-sponsor.
