Common Assembly Meeting to Focus on Termination of Offshore Drilling in California Waters

On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, Rep. Cottie Petrie-Norris, as Chair of the Assembly’s Special Committee on the Orange County Oil Spill, will call a joint oversight hearing with the Assembly’s Natural Resources Committee and the Assembly’s Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on the Climate Crisis. Resources, energy and transportation. Lawmakers will examine past and current efforts to shut down offshore oil production off the coast of California and consider proposed legislation. This is the second hearing in a series of hearings following the October 2021 oil spill in Orange County.

“It’s time we stopped offshore drilling off our precious California coast,” said Rep. Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), chair of the Orange County Oil Spill Special Committee. “Our coastal ecosystems cannot bear the tremendous risk associated with offshore oil exploration and this hearing will help us navigate the complicated but achievable path to closure once and for all.”

“It’s time to end the narrative that stricter regulations and accountability will hurt oil companies, especially as their industry continues to endanger billions of dollars in our coastal economy and, more importantly, threatens our environment,” said MP Luz Rivas ( D -San Fernando Valley), Chairman of the Natural Resources Assembly Committee. “California’s coast has some of the most diverse marine life in the world, and this recent oil spill only proves more that offshore drilling in federal waters must be halted to protect our coastal ecosystem. I would like to thank Rep. Cottie Petrie-Norris for her leadership in organizing another hearing on oversight so we can assess what the state can do to prevent future tragedies.

“California’s coastline is irreplaceable and we must do everything in our power to hold the oil industry accountable for their destructive actions. If we’ve learned anything since that tragic and preventable oil spill, it’s that we must be more aggressive in ending offshore drilling. I appreciate the leadership of both MP Petrie-Norris and Chairman Rivas on this matter and look forward to hearing more from our state’s leading experts,” said MP Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), Chair of Budget Subcommittee No 3 on the climate crisis, resources, energy and transport.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022
10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m
State Capitol Room 4202
To watch live go to: https://www.assembly.ca.gov/todaysevents

About MP Cotie Petrie-Norris

Rep. Cottie Petrie-Norris represents California’s 74th District, including Irvine, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods and Huntington Beach. She is Chair of the Accountability and Administrative Review Committee and a member of the Banking and Finance Committee; Jobs, Economic Development and the Economic Committee; Committee on Revenue and Taxes; and Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs. After making her way to Yale University where she majored in Economics and English, Cottie had a successful 20-year career in finance and technology. She has helped build businesses and led teams at Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and startups.

The above article was published by the Office of MPs Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-AD74).