Congress is currently considering several proposals that would weaken or open up all the coastal waters in the U.S. to drilling.

The Oregon Coast: A Special Place
Oregonians have a special connection to the Oregon coast. For generations Oregonians have headed to the coast to fish, camp, walk on the beach and whale watch. Anyone who has spent time on the coast knows that it is truly a wonderful place.

The Oregon coast is home to more than 120 species of seabirds, 2,000 stellar sea lions, more than 200 species of fish and about 17,000 gray whales migrate up the Oregon coast every year.

It is the backbone of our coastal communities with more than 500,000 Oregonians living and working on the coast. Vital industries like tourism and fishing depend on a healthy Oregon coast.

The Oregon Coast Open for Drilling?
Thirty years ago in the wake of a giant oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, Oregonians decided to protect this treasure and ban all drilling for oil and gas off our coast.

Up until 1995 Oregon had a law to ban drilling off the coast. Today nothing protects our coast from drilling.

Unfortunately, the law protecting the Oregon coast expired in 1995 and currently there is no law to prevent drilling off the Oregon coast.

An Emboldened Oil and Gas Industry
Emboldened by their recent victories that bring them closer than they’ve ever been to drilling in the Arctic, the oil and gas industry is seeking to open up all coastal waters, including Oregon.

Off-Shore Oil and Gas Drilling: An Economic and Environmental Disaster
The effects of oil and gas drilling are nothing short of disastrous:
- An oil spill would result in a massive die off of fish, sea lions, whales and shorebirds.
- Offshore drilling activities produce a steady stream of pollution which destroy kelp beds, coral gardens and coastal wetlands.
- A single offshore rig can drill between 50 and 100 wells, each dumping 25,000 pounds of toxic metals such as lead, chromium and mercury, and potent carcinogens like toluene, benzene and xylene, into the ocean.
-A single oil rig, over its lifespan, can pollute the air as much as 7,000 cars each driving 50 miles per day.

Protecting the Oregon Coast for Future Generations
OSPIRG has launched a campaign to renew the ban on oil and gas drilling on the Oregon coast. Instead of waiting until it is too late and our beaches are covered in oil we are working to protect the coast today for future generations.

OSPIRG is working to convince the Governor, members of Congress and the state Legislature to stand up and fight any efforts of the oil and gas industry to drill in Oregon.