No offshore decision

 

A proposal by 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal to send a letter to President George Bush and to each member of California’s federal legislative delegation restating the county’s past concerns over new offshore oil and gas leasing in areas including the Santa Barbara Channel was removed from the agenda at the board’s regular meeting on July 1. The item was pulled from consideration by Carbajal when it was learned that only action by congress would enable the cancelation of the oil drilling ban.

 

Carbajal had originally proposed the item for discussion but withdrew it after consultations revealed that the federal oil drilling moratorium cannot be canceled by presidential edict. The prohibition on new leases was federally enacted legislation cancelation and would require congressional approval. Carbajal’s proposal stated that “potential new leasing would have an adverse effect on our local economy through negative impacts to our tourism and fishing industries.” One of the most catastrophic oil spill incidents occured in the Santa Barbara Channel in 1969. The incident gave rise to the modern environmental movement. 

 

The Congressional moratorium on new offshore oil drilling has been in effect since 1981 under George H.W. Bush, and extended by President Bill Clinton in 1997. The moratorium is set to expire in 2012.

Carbajal notes in the proposal that “the Board has commented on the federal oil and gas leasing program during each five year cycle, most recently in the 1997-2002 and 2002-2007 programs.”

“It has also been documented that it could take up to fifteen years for new leasing to produce additional oil and gas and that such action would have little to no impact on the high gas prices that we are currently experiencing,” Carbajal says in the proposal letter to the Board of Supervisors.

Carbajal noted that he was on the county’s legislative committee and will continue to monitor federal actions. If it appears that congress gives any serious consideration to removing the ban on new off-shore drilling he will bring the item back to the board.