http://www.vcstar.com/photos/2012/mar/10/159788/
Sanders: House energy bill threatens our fragile coastline
By Alan Sanders
Posted March 10, 2012 at 3 p.m.
The recently passed House transportation and energy bill brings back an old threat of offshore oil spills that has been in the public mind since the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill.
In the documentary “Stories of the Spill” produced by Earth Alert’s Janet Bridgers of Oxnard, area fisherman Mike McKorkle points out that oil from the Platform A blowout first hit shore in Ventura County, where spill-related problems were as great as they were in Santa Barbara County.
The disastrous effects on the local environment were addressed in the documentary by then-Ventura resident Mary Destin.
The House bill has a two-pronged attack upon the Central Coast. First is the inclusion of new oil leases in the Santa Barbara Channel for its thick, low-grade crude oil that is unsuited for production of gasoline.
But more significant, the bill undermines California’s ability to comment on drilling issues provided under the National Coastal Zone Management Act and California Coastal Act.
Ironically, this year marks the 40-year anniversary of the passage of Proposition 20, a true people’s initiative that led to the Coastal Act. Under this act, Ventura County and each coastal city in our county have local coastal plans that include mechanisms we agree upon to care for our environment.
But the current bill eliminates the ability of our state and local governments to even comment in an official capacity as they may now do.
Obviously, Congress members from other areas are unaware that these wells will produce no gasoline while posing a great threat to our local economy and environment.
They will never learn that although the wells are in federal waters, currents and winds will bring any spilled oil straight to Ventura County shores. Also, they will never learn of the biological diversity of the channel due to this provision that slams the door in the face of local interests.
Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and many others have tried to fight this bill, unsuccessfully. Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Simi Valley, supported the bill.
A New York Times column by Thomas Friedman expresses the view that making gains on national energy interests is a possibility. “All of this is good news, but it will come true at scale only if these oil and gas resources can be extracted in an environmentally sustainable manner. This can be done right, but we need a deal between environmentalists and the oil and gas industry to lock it in – now.”
He quotes energy expert Hal Harvey: “The oil and gas companies need to decide: Do they want to fight a bloody and painful war of attrition with local communities or take the lead in setting high environmental standards and then live up to them?”
Unfortunately, this approach was rejected by the House. Instead, it included poison pills like drilling in the Santa Barbara Channel and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As for a painful war of attrition, Ormond Beach Observers recommends supporters of that option study the record on the failed Cabrillo Port and Clearwater liquefied natural gas projects.
OBO furthermore recommends that candidates for the newly established 26th Congressional District should clearly state their support for or opposition to the bill.
Credit for preservation of environmentally sensitive habitat areas along the coast of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, the Channel Islands and the channel itself is owed to many local leaders who worked very hard 40 years ago on Proposition 20.
They established a legacy of coastal planning that we all enjoy today and which has been used as a model for coastal protection around the world.
Their work is in part responsible for the elimination of toxic materials once routinely dumped in or near shore waters; for populations of many marine mammals that have rebounded; and for the dedication of one of America’s most spectacular national parks.
Our citizens have taken pride in learning about our area’s natural resources and have joined many battles to preserve what we have. Much of the work to establish this legacy was motivated by parents hoping that their children would also enjoy the beauty of the channel.
It was worth fighting for all those years ago, as it is today.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/mar/10/sanders-house-energy-bill-threatens-our-fragile/#ixzz1ov12H7Es
– vcstar.com
Special thanks to Richard Charter