Local political leaders and environmental groups are opposing a proposal for new offshore oil drilling, a day after the Trump administration announced its new leasing plan for areas off the coast of Santa Barbara.
Congressman Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, called the plan to reopen ocean coastlines to offshore drilling “reckless and a dangerous decision.”
The Department of the Interior announced on Thursday that it was repealing a ban on offshore drilling that would have run into 2029. Instead, the department is issuing the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
The plan could issue up to 34 offshore lease sales in the next five years along the coasts of California, Alaska, Texas and other states along the Gulf of Mexico. If the plan moves forward, it will include the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, and federal and state Marine Protected Areas.
“Trump’s plan to auction off drilling rights along the West Coast for his biggest donors will put some of our state’s natural treasures at stake here in Santa Barbara and the Central Coast,” Carbajal said.
He said the Central Coast is ground zero for oil and gas production and noted the impact it has on the environment, such as the 1969 Santa Barbara spill and the Refugio oil spill in 2015.
Carbajal described the spills that turned the coastline into oil slicks, harming sea life and costing the county millions of dollars.
Opponents say new drilling also will hurt the state’s tourism industry, which relies heavily on the natural environment.
According to the Environmental Defense Center, ocean-related tourism and recreation contributed $28 million to the state’s GDP in 2019.
Maggie Hall, chief deputy council for the EDC, said new drilling will harm the natural ecosystem that has made the coastline a tourist destination and supports jobs.
“The California coast is one of the most ecologically diverse and rich places on the planet,” Hall said. “It serves as an important migratory route and feeding area for endangered blue humpback and fin whales, and this region is home to many other specially protected areas.”
Hall said local environmental groups will arrange town halls for residents who wish to get involved.
State Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, emphasized that the state legislature is taking the issue seriously and is concerned about what this means for California’s coastline. Limón said she has talked to Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, who shares her concerns.
She added that state officials have passed new legislation to protect the coastlines from new drilling and will continue to do so.
“We will continue to look for remedies for different efforts to make sure that we protect our coastline from the expansion of fossil fuel,” Limón said.