Superintendent Jack-O'Connell
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement in response to a proposal by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and additional members of the Senate to ban oil drilling off the West Coast of the United States:

“I applaud Senator Barbara Boxer and other West Coast senators for introducing legislation to protect the beauty and marine life of our Pacific waters from the type of recent disaster created by the British Petroleum spill. Their measure, the West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2010 (S 3358), furthers the protections created by my 1994 measure creating a permanent sanctuary along California’s coast.

“As demonstrated by the BP tragedy, despite new technology and safeguards, offshore oil drilling can still wreak catastrophic environmental and economic havoc. Protecting California’s coastline protects marine and other wildlife, the natural beauty of our shores, and our economy.”