COAST Anti-Drilling Act
Key claim: A 2005 Senate bill would have barred the Interior Department from issuing oil, gas, or other mineral leases in the Mid-Atlantic and North Atlantic outer continental shelf.
Abstract
(S878 · 109th Congress) Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act, or the COAST Anti-Drilling Act - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in either the Mid-Atlantic or the North Atlantic planning areas. Latest action (2005-04-21): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4128)
Why this matters
Atlantic OCS leasing has swung between administrative moratoria and proposed statutory bans for two decades; the 2005 COAST Anti-Drilling Act is an early example of legislators seeking to lock in a regional ban by statute rather than rely on five-year plan discretion. Documenting these introduced-but-failed bills clarifies the recurring policy baseline behind current Atlantic drilling debates.