State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, released the following statement Wednesday on the oil spill off of Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County:
“Like so many of my constituents, I remain very concerned about the impact of the oil spill yesterday at Refugio Beach, the largest we have had in years in Santa Barbara County, and am continuing to monitor it closely.
“I commend the California State Parks, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, the California Office of Emergency Services, the state Office of Spill Prevention and Response, the U.S. Coast Guard and others who are working hard at the scene to respond.
“This is a tragic reminder of how precious our coastline and wildlife are, and the dangerous and detrimental impacts of oil drilling and oil operations. Just as the 1969 oil spill off the Santa Barbara coast spurred decades of environmental progress, I hope that this devastating situation renews our commitment to protect our coastline, and find safer forms of energy to power our state and our nation.”
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.
— Lisa Gardiner is the communications director for state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson.