On Tuesday, Democrats in the House of Representatives unveiled a sweeping measure that aims to harness the world’s oceans to address climate change, offering a legislative guide for protecting and restoring the nation’s waters. Introduced by Representative Jared Huffman (D-North Coast), Chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, and Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act would boost offshore wind energy production and bar new offshore oil and gas drilling while creating new protected areas and significantly boosting coastal and wetland restoration. The bill would require shipping vessels to report carbon dioxide emissions annually, while also prohibiting new oil and gas leasing in all areas of the Outer Continental Shelf and setting a goal of protecting at least 30 percent of oceans under U.S. control by 2030. The legislation also sets a goal of restoring 1.5 million acres of coastal wetlands over 10 years, while creating a grant program for projects that capture greenhouse gases. (bill text | section-by-section summary | fact sheet)
