Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, called for a new path to energy independence at a Monday hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee called to learn coastal states’ perspective on offshore drilling.

Capps has 23 active oil and gas platforms offshore from her district. She noted that offshore drilling had long been a controversial measure among coastal communities, largely because of the damage it inflicts on local economies and the environment. Capps urged her colleagues to join her in rejecting the old “drill only” approach to meeting U.S. energy needs and instead pursue a promising new path to energy independence based on clean, renewable energy.

“At the dawn of a new presidency and a new Congress we have a rare opportunity to seek a new path to energy independence,” Capps said. “This is a unique moment for our country and we must seize it. We can lead the world in the development of clean, renewable energy technologies. In 50 years we should be able to look back and see this point as a pivotal one where we embraced change and aggressively pursued new way forward.

“The alternative — to hang back and wait for change to pass us by — stands in sharp contrast to America’s legacy as an innovator and leader. It is my hope that in the coming months we commit to this forward-thinking path so our children’s children won’t have to rely on the same fuel source — dirty and dangerous fossil fuels — that their grandparents were beholden to.”

Emily Kryder is press secretary for Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.