Annie Pollard, Co-owner of 7 Devils Brewing

“With a statewide ban of oil and gas exploration on our coast, we can continue to look out over our waters and see a clean pristine stretch of ocean”

At 7 Devils Brewing Company in Coos Bay, a welcome card sits at each table. It reads: “Walking through our doors should create the same restorative feelings of walking toward the shore.”

Annie Pollard, co-owner of 7 Devils Brewery, attributes this strong connection to the shore to her childhood. Growing up in Willamette Valley, Annie didn’t get to visit the Oregon coast as much as she wanted to. The few times she did always involved immersing herself in the ocean despite not being dressed for it.

“I immediately fell in love with the coastline, the ruggedness of it, the independence of the people who live out here,” recalls Annie. “I could never shake the place, I kept coming back,”

It was the ocean’s powerful draw and restorative nature that ultimately inspired Annie to move to Coos Bay and open a brewery with her partner. The brewery, like the Coos Bay community at large, is intimately tied to the ocean.

“A lot of our industries are reliant on a healthy Oregon coast, including, but not limited to fishing, tourism and recreation. Simply put, our business relies on clean water to produce clean beer,” explains Annie.

But as the federal government proposes to open U.S waters to more drilling, Annie is worried her community will experience the negative effects of offshore drilling in a similar way her family living near the Gulf of Mexico has.

“My family grew up not being able to swim in the Gulf because the beaches were filled with tar balls from offshore oil activity. My mom used to share stories of seeing films of oil every time she held her cup of drinking water to the light,” Annie describes.

“It’s such a stark contrast from my memories visiting the Oregon coast. I don’t know how many people immersed themselves in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Nevertheless, Annie feels hopeful knowing her state is doing everything they can to stop the federal proposal. This spring, Oregon passed legislation creating a new line of defense against offshore drilling.

“With a statewide ban of oil and gas exploration on our coast, we can continue to look out over our waters and see a clean pristine stretch of ocean,” says Annie.

“This federal proposal just isn’t us — it isn’t our identity as Oregonians, who depend so much on a healthy ocean.”