H.R. 2849House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2025

Introduced April 10, 2025

AI-Generated Summary

Updated November 24, 2025 at 1:05 AM UTC

The West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2025 amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permanently ban oil and gas exploration, development, and production on the offshore continental shelf off California, Oregon, and Washington. The ban applies to the four designated planning areas outlined in the 2024‑2029 leasing program, preventing the federal government from issuing new leases or authorizations in those zones. It directly impacts the offshore oil and gas industry and any future leasing decisions for those coastal regions.

Key Provisions

  • Adds a new subsection to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act that bars the Secretary of the Interior from issuing any lease or other authorization for oil or natural‑gas exploration, development, or production in certain offshore areas.
  • Specifically prohibits such activities in four planning areas off the West Coast: the Washington/Oregon area, and the Northern, Central, and Southern California planning areas as defined in the 2024‑2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program.

Legislative Activity

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HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

April 10, 2025

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

April 10, 2025

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

April 10, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued April 10, 2025

I

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2849

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 10, 2025

Mr. Huffman (for himself, Ms. Barragán, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Chu, Ms. DelBene, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieu, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Peters, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Min, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Correa, and Ms. Lofgren) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permanently prohibit oil and gas exploration, development, and production on the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2025.

2.

Prohibition of oil and gas exploration, development, and production on the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington

Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(q)

Prohibition of Oil and Gas Exploration, Development, and Production in Certain Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf

(1)

In general

Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any other law, the Secretary shall not issue a lease or any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in the planning areas described in paragraph (2).

(2)

Planning areas

The planning areas referred to in paragraph (1) are the following, as depicted in the 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program published on September 29, 2023, by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (as announced in the notice of availability of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management entitled Notice of Availability of the 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (88 Fed. Reg. 67798 (October 2, 2023))):

(A)

The Washington/Oregon Planning Area.

(B)

The Northern California Planning Area.

(C)

The Central California Planning Area.

(D)

The Southern California Planning Area.

.