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Council votes to take against offshore drilling
updated: Sep 15, 2009, 6:05 PM
Source: Das Williams
SANTA BARBARA, CA –Santa Barbara City Councilmembers Das Williams and Helene Schneider today called on the City Council to oppose new Federal offshore oil drilling. Williams and Schneider requested that the city council vote in favor of sending a letter to the Minerals Management Service opposing any new Federal oil leases off the coast of Santa Barbara. The Minerals Management Service, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior, is currently preparing a proposed oil and gas leasing program that includes potential new oil leases in the Santa Barbara and Ventura Area. The City Council voted in favor of sending the letter by a 5 to 1 vote.
“Allowing new Federal oil leases off our coast would be disastrous to our efforts to end oil drilling,” stated Councilmember Das Williams. “This plan would have negative impacts on our local economy, put our environment at risk and open the door to additional new oil facilities both on and off shore. We need to be focused on stopping oil development and reducing consumption, while investing in green technologies like alternative fuels and solar power.”
The Santa Barbara City Council has a long history of opposing oil drilling. The City’s General Plan states that the City should “continue efforts to prohibit new oil exploration, drilling and production in the channel and to cause the termination of existing leases and the removal of platform structures.”
“We are constantly facing new environmental challenges. It is important that the City of Santa Barbara oppose any new Federal oil drilling lease and that we use any means possible to bring a definitive end to all new and existing oil drilling,” said Santa Barbara Councilmember Das Williams. My goal is simple, to put an end to oil development and protect our coast from new projects that bring new drilling to our coast.”
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