Expanding offshore oil drilling increases the risk of a devastating accident while doing nothing to lower the price of gas at the pump, says Richard Charter, a senior policy adviser with Defenders of Wildlife. He wants the public to link hands on Saturday at Bodega Bay to signal support for policies that encourage the growth of clean and renewable energy sources in place of oil and coal.

The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a Republican bill that seeks to double offshore oil production by 2027. Even if it clears the House, it is expected to stall in Senate, where Democrats are intent on ending tax breaks for profitable oil companies. One critic says the Republican goal is to inject oil drilling into next year’s election campaign. Should oil wells be allowed on the North Coast?

Rep. Lynn Woolsey renewed her push on Wednesday to expand two marine sanctuaries and permanently ban offshore oil drilling along the North Coast. Woolsey reintroduced her bill, which was thwarted late last year, on the first day of the 112th Congress. Does it have a chance with Republicans firmly in control of the House?