Governor breathes life back into drilling project
The once dead Tranquillon Ridge offshore drilling project got a jolt of life yesterday when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed reviving the controversial plan that some say could pump over $1 billion into state coffers over the next 14 years.
Local environmental groups that supported the offshore oil drilling project lauded the governor’s proposal, not because of the money, but because the hard-fought drilling deal would be allowed on the condition that several other offshore drilling sites would be shut down well before realizing their full potential.
“The only reason we support the Tranquillon Ridge project is because it would put an end to offshore oil drilling,” said Linda Krop, chief counsel for the Environmental Defense Center. “We are not opening the door; we are closing the door to drilling off our coast.”
Krop was an architect of the drilling deal, which if approved, would be implemented by Plains Exploration & Production Co. (PXP).
Under the deal, PXP, in exchange for prematurely shutting down several of its offshore operations, would be allowed to tap into the oil rich Tranquillon Ridge, which is located off the coast of Lompoc.
While several traditionally anti-oil drilling organizations hailed the deal as an environmental breakthrough, others weren’t so sure.
When the project went before the State Lands Commission nearly a year ago, it was shot down in a 2-1 vote. The Commission majority seemed most concerned that the deal was not enforceable. Mainly, they worried the wells that the company promised to cease pumping from would remain open, despite the deal.
Lt. Governor John Garamendi, then the chair of the Commission, was an outspoken critic of the deal.
But in November, Garamendi became a congressman, and state senator Abel Maldonado, a Republican from Santa Maria, took over for Garamendi.
If the State Lands Commission discusses the Tranquillon Ridge project in the near future, Maldonado would be the swing vote.
Krop has said in the past that only way she’d support the deal is if it went through the proper channels, meaning the State Lands Commission.
“Reconsideration by the State Lands Commission is the only process that we support to address this unique proposal,” she said. “We continue to strongly oppose any legislative proposals that would circumvent the important role of the State Lands Commission in protecting our coast.”
Comment on this article
Clarification : 1/9/2010
Just to clarify a point here... Maldanado first has to be confirmed by the State legislature before he can become Lt. Governor and thus one of the three votes on State Lands Commission. He is NOT now in a position to do anything on this, unless the Legislature fails to respond during the next couple of months so the nomination of Maldonado automatically enacts for this appointment. Currently, the interim position is held by the Garamendi chief staffer Mona Pasquil as the the Acting Lt. Governor. She now is the interim State Lands Commissioner and has been on their meeting agendae for November and December. Given how EDC et al. support the role of State Lands Commission in this proposed offshore oil deal, it all seems to be entirely dependent upon whether Moldonado becomes Lt. Governor and how he would vote on the oil deal, which he was against last time when he was a State Senator.
David Pritchett
Linda's straight face : 1/9/2010
How can she just gloss over the implicit-explicit, really---advocacy for years of slant drilling, something she spent decades opposing, on principle,-as recently as 3 yrs ago
about face
Somewhere between illogical and hypocritical : 1/9/2010
Krop, EDC and the Board of Supes certified in their testimony to the Land Commission that slant drilling was environmentally safe and would pose no risk of oil spill to our coast line and beaches. If this were not true, how could they advocate 14 years of new drilling? If this is true, why won't they advocate more drilling - and bring lots of revenue to state and local government, reduce dependence on foreign oil, and create lots of local jobs?
Just wondering
Oil Revenue : 1/9/2010
California needs to have an extraction tax for the oil that is pumped out of our land. I believe we are the only state that does not have this tax.
Makes sense
Politics and Money : 1/9/2010
Will the State Legislature really support ending off-shore oil drilling? It's tempting to take the money now, but I suspect they want to continue offshore operations for many more decades. Jobs and long-term tax revenue are to valuable.
Good Luck
Proper Channels? Or just plain hypocraisy!!!???? : 1/11/2010
So the EDC and Princess Krop state for the record that slant drilling is environmentally sound (their words, not mine) but only support it if it is done their way? So let's allow drilling to end drilling??? Am I missing something here? The more I learn about EDC the more they seem like untrustworthy, hypocrites who care only for themselves and the perception they have in the eyes of others. They are pathetic.
Tired of Hypocrites
No : 1/11/2010
Do the current oil derricks drill any differently than what's being proposed? No. Do the people who are against the PXP deal have a plan to end offshore drilling? No. Will stopping the PXP deal help stop offshore drilling? No.
Know
Yes! : 1/11/2010
Drill for oil in the channel - they already have the derricks in place - reopen the leases and let the money roll into CA.
Those opposed - please return you car to the dealership unless you plan to be a hypocrite.
YES!
and in Carpinteria? : 1/12/2010
Is EDC also supporting the Paredon slant-drilling proposal by Venoco in Carpinteria?
Santa Barbara resident
PXP/T-Ridge Project Facts : 1/13/2010
Misstatements in this article: T-Ridge will not shut down after 14 years as claimed by EDC; the feds can continue offering oil leases here as long as there are known crude petroleum reserves worth drilling meaning this project could go continue for decades. As the SLC stated the deal is utterly NOT enforceable. EDC's Linda Krop claims perversely T-Ridge new offshore oil drilling in state territorial waters for the first time in 40 years will in fact end all offshore oil drilling in California! This is ludicrous: in fact PXP's project under Krop's leadership has reaped a barrage of other offshore oil drilling initiatives pushing for approval now on. In fact her "environmental" support of T-Ridge has "opened the door" widely to offshore oil drilling off California. Krop's reaction to the Governor's budget proposal is to thank him for including T-Ridge with no reaction to Shwarzenegger's extortion proposal of funding State Parks with T-Ridge revenues after de-funding our state parklands. Offshore oil spills will decimate our coastal tourist and fishing industries, leads to the harmful over-industrialization of our coast with onshore oil processing facilities and is not the answer to reducing fossil fuel addiction in this country. Petroleum brought up from our state sea beds will go on world's oil market for developing countries and therefore will not add to our state reserves, lower prices at the pump or reduce California's reliance on foreign crude oil.
Fran Gibson (Coastwalk California)
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