A bill that would ban offshore drilling in Tranquillon Ridge state waters cleared the Assembly’s Committee on Natural Resources with a 6-2 vote last week. Sponsored by state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, the bill would eliminate an exception in the law that allows drilling to occur three miles off the coast if state reservoirs are being drained by federal operations. Next, the bill will head to another committee to be reviewed for fiscal impact. If it passes, both houses would have to vote on it before it reaches the governor’s desk.
