I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3978 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 9, 2023 Mr. Levin (for himself, Mr. Huffman , Ms. Jacobs , Mr. Grijalva , Ms. Barragán , Mr. Swalwell , Ms. Ross , Mr. Vargas , Ms. Brownley , Mr. Khanna , Mr. Connolly , Mr. Lieu , Mr. Sherman , and Mr. Peters ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit oil and gas leasing in the Southern California planning area.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act . 2. Prohibition of oil and gas leasing in the Southern California planning area 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 leasing in the Southern California planning area Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any other law, the Secretary of the Interior may not issue a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in the Southern California planning area, as such planning area is described in the document entitled 2019–2024 National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program , dated January 2018, or a subsequent oil and gas leasing program developed under section 18 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act ( 43 U.S.C. 1344 ). .