TRIBUTE TO LINDA KROP, CALIFORNIA'S 24TH CONGRESSIONAL WOMAN OF THE YEAR

On 2026-08-03, Representative Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA-24) delivered a floor speech titled "TRIBUTE TO LINDA KROP, CALIFORNIA'S 24TH CONGRESSIONAL WOMAN OF THE YEAR" in the House.

TRIBUTE TO LINDA KROP, CALIFORNIA'S 24TH CONGRESSIONAL WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 126 (Monday, August 3, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 126 (Monday, August 3, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E764] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRIBUTE TO LINDA KROP, CALIFORNIA'S 24TH CONGRESSIONAL WOMAN OF THE YEAR ______ HON. SALUD O. CARBAJAL of california in the house of representatives Monday, August 3, 2026 Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, each year, I have the honor of recognizing women on the Central Coast whose leadership, service, and dedication have made a lasting impact on our community through the Women of the Year Award. This year, it is my pleasure to recognize Linda Krop for her decades of environmental advocacy, public service, and commitment to protecting the natural resources of California's Central Coast. Linda has devoted more than three decades to the Environmental Defense Center, a local public-interest environmental law firm. She joined the firm in 1989 and has served as its Chief Counsel since 1999. Throughout her career, she has specialized in environmental law involving offshore oil and gas development, ocean and coastal conservation, open-space preservation, natural-resource protection, and energy policy. Linda's work has produced lasting protections for communities and ecosystems throughout Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties. Among her most notable legal accomplishments, she helped secure the termination of 40 federal oil and gas leases off the California coast. She prevented the extension of 37 federal oil leases off the coasts of the three counties. She also played a leading role in response to the 2015 Refugio oil spill, which released 140,000 gallons of crude oil and polluted both the ocean and surrounding land. She led the EDC's legal team in efforts that forced the companies to pay more than $700 million in damages. Beyond her courtroom advocacy, Linda has helped advance environmental protections through public policy. She served on the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council from 1998 to 2013, representing the conservation community. She was also appointed by the U.S. Minerals Management Service to serve on the California Offshore Oil and Gas Energy Resources Committee and the High Energy Seismic Survey Task Force. Since 2006, she has regularly taught in the Environmental Studies Program at UCSB and at the Santa Barbara College of Law. Through litigation, policy advocacy, and education, she has helped preserve some of California's most valued landscapes and has strengthened environmental protections throughout our region. Today, she continues those efforts by challenging Sable Offshore Corp.'s plans to restart offshore oil operations, helping protect the Central Coast's coastline and communities. I am proud to recognize Linda Krop for her extraordinary record of leadership and service and her lifelong dedication to protecting the natural beauty and environmental future of the Central Coast. ____________________