Supes reject oil drilling off coast
After a brief departure from its longstanding record of staunch opposition to offshore oil drilling, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors yesterday made sure its current take on the subject is clear: oil drilling won’t be greeted with open arms here any time soon.
“Santa Barbara County is not for sale to this industry, which brings with it lots of perils to our environment and our economy,” 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal said. “Hopefully this message is loud and clear and sets the record straight.”
That message will land on the desks of high-ranking federal and state leaders in the form of a resolution urging Congress and President Obama to reinstate a federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas leasing.
The resolution was timed to coincide with a public comment period for a Department of Interior meeting on April 16 in San Francisco, where a federal offshore oil-leasing program will be discussed.
Environmental groups greeted the Board of Supervisors’ resolution, which outlines the county’s turbulent history with offshore drilling and states its intent to curb fossil fuel use and transition to cleaner energy, with praise.
Charlie Eckberg, executive director of GOO (Get Oil Out), which was formed in response to the 1969 oil blowout in the Santa Barbara Channel, said taking a stand against oil development helps solve other problems like global warming.
“Stopping offshore oil development now and forever is an important statement that should come from Santa Barbara,” he said.
Only recently has the county of Santa Barbara’s stance on offshore drilling come into question.
Last August, as gas prices soared, the board voted 3-2 — the same result as yesterday’s vote — to send a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger, informing him the county would welcome expanded offshore drilling.
Former 3rd District Supervisor Brooks Firestone led the discussion, saying the county could play a big role in reducing gas prices while simultaneously shoring up its ballooning budget deficit, which is expected to top $15 million this fiscal year.
Like many controversial issues in the county, the way elected officials feel about oil often straddles geographical boundaries.
With support from 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray and 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno, who represent North County, and Firestone, whose district stretches from the Santa Ynez Valley to Vandenberg Village, and from Isla Vista to Goleta, the letter was approved and sent.
On the losing end of that vote were Carbajal and 2nd District Supervisor Janet Wolf, the sponsors of yesterday’s resolution.
The only thing that’s changed since August, aside from drastically lower gasoline prices, is Doreen Farr, the current 3rd District supervisor, who differs from her predecessor when it comes to oil.
With Farr’s support, yesterday’s resolution, which essentially unwinds what was done eight months ago, was narrowly approved.
Before voting, Farr pointed out that she publicly spoke out against the Firestone letter, and said she felt it important to set the record straight.
“I agree with every word of [the resolution],” she said.
Centeno and Gray, now in the minority on this topic, had little to say. Gray didn’t utter a word throughout the proceeding, while Centeno pointed out that there are a lot of other products other than oil that require petroleum, and he’d like to see a list to “satisfy his own curiosity.”
Reached after the meeting, Firestone said he feels the oil industry has significantly improved its safety record since the 1969 spill, and as time goes on, his belief that the oil-rich resources off the county’s coast should be tapped, only increases.
“I think they made a mistake today and I think the subject needs close, rational examination,” he said. “In my mind the arguments of the anti-oil people are looking weaker and weaker and the arguments of extracting our own natural resources are looking stronger and stronger.”
Andy Caldwell, executive director of COLAB (Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business), said the county’s only significant move toward renewable energy is the recently approved Lompoc wind farm, which he characterized as “small.”
He said such projects won’t make a “single-digit” dent in the need for oil and other dirtier, more traditional forms of energy, and he challenged any board member to debate him on the topic.
“We are desperately in need of revenue, we are desperately in need of energy,” Caldwell said. “We cannot wean ourselves off of oil and natural gas anytime soon.”
Representatives from the group SOS (Stop Oil Seeps), told the board that drilling would alleviate sea floor pressure, thereby reducing natural oil seepage.
Linda Krop, chief legal counsel for the Environmental Defense Center, said even if more drilling stunted fuel prices and infused millions into the county budget, none of it would occur for at least 20 years.
She said the approval process of identifying and selling offshore leases, as is being contemplated during the upcoming Department of Interior meeting, would take decades.
As evidence, she pointed to 36 existing offshore leases approved in the late 1960s that remain unused.
Krop also said she feels yesterday’s resolution will undue any perception created last August that Santa Barbara County was in favor of more oil rigs roosting off its coast.
“I think it is a very important vote that will be considered by the Department of Interior,” she said. “When Santa Barbara speaks the country does listen.”
Comment on this article
Carbajal and Farr will bankrupt SB County : 4/8/2009
What Supervisor Salud Carbajal said in second paragraph is false. 1-Oil drilling is very safe and would provide so much tax money for Santa Barbara that the County budget would surplus and could waste even more money. 2-Our natural oil seeps are the biggest of any ocean in the world, and more oil drilling would decrease the seepage that is causing Goleta's beaches to be continuously covered in tar. We don't need to make boats from tar as the Chumash did, so let's drill it and sell it instead of buying from the Sheiks. Otherwise 20 years from now SB will be broke, the oil seeps will continue, Alaska will still have no sales tax, and we'll be buying oil from the Chinese, who don't care about global worming. Just like when Carbajal says that Measure D got rid of the potholes, he is misleading again.
sbcag.COM
Wasted oil : 4/8/2009
Why would we want additional revenue in this economy? Let all the other countries drill and pollute and benefit while we stupid boneheads bankrupt ourselves.
Realist
Realist : 4/8/2009
Why would we want to be independent of foreign oil in this political environment? Don't worry if we don't drill for our own oil - eventually they will if it takes a nuke or two to get it from us.
Realist
Get what you vote for. : 4/8/2009
This is what happens when you let any idiot vote for representation. They vote in morons who make statements and resolutions like our numb nut stuporvisors. Of course everyone of the morons who voted for Doreen , Salud and Wolf drive cars, so keep the mental image of voters blasting their feet off with their own gun. They will also be the loudest complainers when the oil money stops flowing into county coffers.
AN50
: 4/9/2009
"Linda Krop, chief legal counsel for the Environmental Defense Center, said even if more drilling stunted fuel prices and infused millions into the county budget, none of it would occur for at least 20 years." Hey now there's a great argument for delaying drilling even more! What a dope. It's the EDC's fault we didn't start this 20 years ago!
Realist
: 4/9/2009
"She said the approval process of identifying and selling offshore leases, as is being contemplated during the upcoming Department of Interior meeting, would take decades." Uh gee could that approval process be because of all of the efforts of the EDC to stop this? What a dope.
Realist
: 4/9/2009
"Krop also said she feels yesterday’s resolution will undue any perception created last August that Santa Barbara County was in favor of more oil rigs roosting off its coast." It is my understanding that becasue of recent developments in technology they can increase drilling WITHOUT new platforms. What a dope. Oh and speak for yourself, dope. WHo appointed you spokesperson for the whole county?
Realist
Dope is as dope does : 4/13/2009
I don’t know if Linda is such a dope. She has made a career out of being an obstruction to just about everything. Used to be that to make it in this free market you had to build something, make things work and add value. Linda found a way to earn a living just getting in the way and she’s good at it! One of these days people will either be coddled to sleep or wake up and realize they’ve been seriously duped.
AN50
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