Goleta Council Adopts Resolution Opposing Offshore Drilling
City leaders approve the modified version of a resolution put forth three weeks ago.
The Goleta City Council on Tuesday evening voted 3-2 to adopt a resolution stating opposition to offshore oil and gas production.
The resolution was voted in by Goleta Mayor Michael Bennett and City Council members Roger Aceves and Jonny Wallis.
The resolution was one of a series of responses to a letter sent by a Board of Supervisors majority to Gov. Schwarzenegger urging him to lift the state ban on offshore drilling.
“For us not to respond would be an acquiescence of agreement,” said Wallis, pointing out that the city adopted the county’s former stance against new oil operations, but could not agree with the change represented by the letter sent by the majority on the Board of Supervisors.
Still skeptical of the resolution were council members Jean Blois and Eric Onnen, who said that more research still needed to be done with respect to oil drilling and natural seeps that theoretically would decrease as a result of increased drilling.
“We certainly haven’t explored the full impact of production of oil related to our city,” Onnen said.
To date, the city of Goleta doesn’t receive any royalties from the oil company’s production in facilities in the Ellwood area.
Noozhawk staff writer Sonia Fernandez can be reached at .
» wrote on 10/11/08 @ 07:40 AM
Let me fully understand this. An area of California that has benefitted in terms of Billions of dollars in royalties and tax revenues from offshore oil production is now attempting to outlaw further development of oil which otherwise would seep out naturally and deposit itself on you beaches.
All this happens in a state now looking for a multi-Billion bailout. As a resident of a state with a budget surplus and no state income tax, thanks in large part to offshore oil, I would have to say that the Goleta City Council has exhibited Stupidity, Hypocrisy and Fiduciary Irresponsibility all at the same time.
» wrote on 10/11/08 @ 02:37 PM
Why can’t we inject some 21st century “reality” into all the paranoia about drilling offshore? Understand - I was spending the night at a beach house the night Platform Holly blew out. OK? I saw the nightmare. But that was 40 years ago! Do we have any concrete answers out there about IF drilling is still as “risky” and IF it causes more air pollution?? A reasoned discussion of these issues would go a long way toward sanity. WE NEED TO DRILL FOLKS. Either that, or stop driving.
» wrote on 10/11/08 @ 06:35 PM
Folks – let’s keep in mind the following…
• Oil companies PAY the federal and state governments for the privilege of drilling offshore. That’s money going into the tax base that YOU don’t have to pay. The government uses those funds to build schools, roads and hospitals.
• Offshore drilling creates a huge number of high paying blue collar and white collar jobs. So YOU don’t have to pay for their unemployment benefits and they pay income taxes that eventually benefit you. Those same folks will be spending lots of money and buying lots of homes shore side.
• Economics 101 indicates that more supply = lower prices for the oil and natural gas that offshore drilling produces.
• More supply sourced domestically helps to insure that we have a more stable source of supply. This lowers the risk of being “cut off” by others. For the oil and gas market, this then psychologically serves to reduce the price of oil and gas and such will be reflected in how the commodity is priced.
• Offshore drilling is proven safe and clean. Probably much safer than the oil tankers that cruise in and out of the nations harbors daily.
So it’s no skin off your nose if the oil companies want to drill for oil. In fact, it benefits you directly and indirectly. It’s time that we get behind this for the good of the nation and the economy.