Oil Drilling Politics Brings Lots of Political Action

50 environmental organizations are opposing reopening our waters to oil drilling. Our Governor continues to oppose it as well. I received under separate cover from this EDC advisory a letter from three former County Supervisors opposing the current majorities support for drilling....now the City of SB will likely be opposing it as well. -- Sara

PRESS ADVISORY
Santa Barbara City Council to Vote On Oil Moratorium

WHAT: The Santa Barbara City Council will consider a resolution (attached hereto) in support of the State and Federal Moratoria on New Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing off the Santa Barbara Coastline

WHEN: Tuesday, September 9, 2008, 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: City Council Chambers, Santa Barbara City Hall, De La Guerra Plaza, Santa Barbara, CA

WHY: According to the Memorandum issued by Mayor Marty Blum and Council members Helene Schneider and Das Williams, the proposed Resolution is intended to re-emphasize the City’s support of the oil moratorium, which has taken on new significance in light of the national media surrounding the August 26, 2008 Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors vote against the moratorium. The resolution notes that “City of Santa Barbara residents have long opposed new oil and gas drilling off their coastline” and that “the City of Santa Barbara is the site of the devastating oil spill of 1969 that led to the forming of the modern environmental movement and Earth Day worldwide.”

Proposed BOS Letter on Oil Bogus!

The Environmental Defense Center announced today that "Four major local environmental groups, (EDC, CEC, GOO! and SBCAN), together representing more than 120 years of activism to protect the quality of Santa Barbara County’s environment, joined together today to express their opposition to a proposed letter from Santa Barbara County to Governor Schwarzenegger, favoring increased oil exploration and extraction offshore California".

Good for them as the Board of Supervisors' majority is putting national politics over local needs. This same board voted for a moratorium a little over a year ago and the Governator said he supported a moratorium just a little over a month ago.

Word on the street is that not only is Salud Carbajal going to sign a minority letter with Janet Wolf -- but several have questioned if he will sign the letter at all as Chair. I say go for it Salud -- Santa Barbara has a thirty year policy of opposing oil exploration and development. Most of all, our country doesn't need it considering the trickle of oil it would create in comparison to the manufactured need. Tell the "petro-dictators" what we think!