Defeat proposals in Congress to expand offshore drilling in FY 2024 budget bill

An earlier version of the FY 24 budget passed by the House of Representatives would have required the U.S. Department of Interior to conduct at least two oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and two off Alaska per year. The House proposal would also have stopped BOEM and NOAA from expanding protections for the Rice's Whale and North Atlantic Right Whale from vessel strikes and oil and gas operations. Fortunately, Senate leaders and the White House overwhelmingly rejected the House’s proposals, ensuring that these harmful riders would not be included in the final bill.  

Surfrider Foundation actively campaigned to ensure that Congress would not include the harmful legislative riders in 2024 budget. During Coastal Recreation Hill Day on February 28-29, Surfrider chapter volunteers, student club representatives, and staff met with 142 Congressional offices to urge them to end new offshore drilling, fight plastic pollution and support clean water programs. Surfrider also submitted written letters to congressional leaders and coordinated with national advocacy partners to protect the FY 24 budget bill from offshore drilling mandates.

While’s Surfrider’s work to end new offshore drilling is far from done, this was a critical victory to block congressional mandates for new drilling in the federal budget bill.