WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today reintroduced the Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism (COAST) Anti-Drilling Act (S.1486).

The bill seeks to permanently ban offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean. The legislation is part of a coordinated push alongside lawmakers across the country to codify President Biden’s historic executive action permanently protecting over 600 million acres of ocean from fossil fuel development.

The COAST Anti-Drilling Act would prohibit the U.S. Department of the Interior from issuing leases for oil and gas exploration, development, or production in the North, Mid-, and South Atlantic Planning Areas, as well as the Straits of Florida.

While President Biden used his lawful authority under Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to enact these protections in January, lawmakers are reintroducing companion bills to safeguard against attempts to unlawfully overturn these restrictions—particularly in light of President Donald Trump’s illegal Executive Order that seeks to return the Atlantic Coast to a state vulnerability.

“Offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean would open up the eastern seaboard to considerable risk, and we have seen the destruction that an accident can cause. This legislation is about more than simply protecting the environment, it’s also about protecting the tourism and fishing industries that create jobs and help power Rhode Island’s economy,” said Senator Reed.

“This week marks both Earth Day and the 15th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster,” said Senator Booker. “I’m standing alongside my colleagues in the House and Senate to reaffirm our commitment to protecting our communities and our environment. Offshore drilling endangers our coastal communities – both their lives and their livelihoods – and threatens marine species and ecosystems. The COAST Anti-Drilling Act will ensure that marine seascapes along the Atlantic Coast, and the wildlife, industries, and communities that rely on them, are protected from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling.”

Both Rhode Island’s and New Jersey’s economies are heavily dependent on coastal resources. Tourism and recreation account for thousands of jobs in both states and the commercial and recreational fishing industries contribute significantly. A single oil spill would devastate fragile marine ecosystems and cause catastrophic economic harm to small businesses up and down the coast.

The reintroduction of the COAST Anti-Drilling Act comes as House Republican leadership continues to push for expanded drilling through reconciliation and other legislative means. Despite bipartisan resistance from coastal states, including Republicans from Florida and the Carolinas, Republican leadership has indicated they will attempt to roll back environmental protections through partisan budget bills designed to bypass the Senate filibuster.

Lawmakers from California, Oregon, Florida, and other coastal states are also reintroducing similar bills to codify Biden’s executive protections. Together, this coordinated effort reflects the broad, bipartisan support for protecting U.S. coastal waters from oil and gas leasing.

In addition to Booker and Reed, the COAST Act is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen, Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).