http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/u_s_-senate-passes-dangerous-drilling-bill http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/u_s_-senate-passes-dangerous-drilling-bill Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/california-assembly-on-record-against-new-offshore-drilling http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/california-assembly-on-record-against-new-offshore-drilling Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/u_s_-senate-poised-to-pass-dangerous-drilling-bill http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/u_s_-senate-poised-to-pass-dangerous-drilling-bill Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/governor--urges-u_s_-senate--to-vote-against-off-shore-oil-drilling-bill http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/governor--urges-u_s_-senate--to-vote-against-off-shore-oil-drilling-bill Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/congres-votes-to-allow-more-drilling-off-californias-coast http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/congres-votes-to-allow-more-drilling-off-californias-coast Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/californias-coastal-protections-reaffirmed-by-congress http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/californias-coastal-protections-reaffirmed-by-congress Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/california-congressmen-vote-to-allow-offshore-drilling-off-the-california-coast The U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/california-congressmen-vote-to-allow-offshore-drilling-off-the-california-coast Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/state-senate-passes-legislation-to-protect-oceans   http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/state-senate-passes-legislation-to-protect-oceans Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/new-oceans-report-federal-government-make-little-progress-increasing-the-number-of-healthy-fish-stocks-hides-failures-using-shell-games http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/new-oceans-report-federal-government-make-little-progress-increasing-the-number-of-healthy-fish-stocks-hides-failures-using-shell-games Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/senate-committee-passes-legislation-to-protect-the-ocean http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/senate-committee-passes-legislation-to-protect-the-ocean Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-applauds-california-ocean-protection-council-on-their-plan-to-reduce-ocean-pollution http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-applauds-california-ocean-protection-council-on-their-plan-to-reduce-ocean-pollution Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environmental-groups-call-for-one-unifying-bill  Congress Introduces Many Bills To Protect Our CoastEnvironmental groups are calling on Congress to introduce and pass one bill that will protect the entire coast of the United States and the Great Lakes from oil and gas drilling.“Oil and gas companies want to drill off our coast”, said Dan Jacobson, legislative director for Environment California. “They failed in their attempt to open up the Arctic Refuge and now they want to drill off of our favorite beaches.”Several bills have been recently introduced in Congress that would protect states from oil and gas drilling. Florida Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez introduced a bill that would give the coast of Florida permanent protection from oil and gas drilling. California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation today to protect California from further oil and gas drilling. New Jersey Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg introduced a bill to protect the mid-Atlantic region from oil and gas drilling.“It is clear that no one wants drilling off their coast,” said Athan Manuel, director of preservation programs for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. “Oil companies are trying to play the states off each other.”With a vast selection of alternatives available to power our nation, environmental groups are fighting to make sure oil companies don’t drill off our coast to get just a few months worth of oil when cleaner options are available.“Increasing efficiency for cars and trucks so they go further on a gallon of gas, increasing solar power, building more energy efficient homes, increasing the use of wind power, these are the ideas we should be proposing, not drilling off our favorite summer destinations,” said Jacobson.Last year Congressman Richard Pombo (CA- Tracy) introduced a bill designed to give states the option to opt out of the national moratorium on oil drilling. Environmental groups defeated the bill last year, but expect the congressman to re-introduce the issue later this year.“Drilling in some of America’s most special places will only prolong our oil addiction,” said Jacobson. “Instead of looking for another fix, our members of Congress need to stand together to fight oil and gas drilling.”“Oil companies will try every trick in the book,” said Erin Bowser, director of Ohio Public Interest Research Group. “Our members of Congress need to stand together as a united front and ban oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes as well as off our coasts.”  http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environmental-groups-call-for-one-unifying-bill Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/house-moves-to-open-americas-shores-to-drilling The http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/house-moves-to-open-americas-shores-to-drilling Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/a-last-minute-move-to-allow-more-drilling-off-americas-shores http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/a-last-minute-move-to-allow-more-drilling-off-americas-shores Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-supports-a-bill-to-expand-national-marine-sanctuaries http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-supports-a-bill-to-expand-national-marine-sanctuaries Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/scientists-environmentalists-and-concerned-citizens-unite-to-demand-an-end-to-over-fishing-in-the-pacific http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/scientists-environmentalists-and-concerned-citizens-unite-to-demand-an-end-to-over-fishing-in-the-pacific Sun, 11 Nov 2007 18:02:25 -0600 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/california-passes-ocean-protection-resolutions http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/california-passes-ocean-protection-resolutions Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:45:24 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/statement-of-dan-jacobson-environment-californias-legislative-director-on-proposals-to-open-our-coasts-to-offshore-drilling Environment California is firmly opposed to proposals to continue decades of failed energy policy by opening our protected coasts to offshore drilling. Drilling in these protected areas is not the solution to high oil prices; we need to reduce our dependence on oil. Instead of opening every last corner of our country to oil drilling, we need to produce cars that go further on a gallon of gasoline, invest in mass transit and other alternatives to driving, and develop clean renewable energy. Politicians are ignoring the real potential of clean energy technologies to build our economy and reduce our dependence on oil. There’s no need to sacrifice our white sandy beaches for more oil industry profits when we have the technology to build cars that go 100 miles per gallon. According to the Energy Information Administration, drilling in currently protected offshore areas would not significantly affect domestic oil production until 2030 and the impact on prices would be “insignificant.” Moreover, offshore drilling proposals threaten sensitive coasts, beaches and beloved parks with chronic pollution from oil and gas production and catastrophic spills from platforms and pipelines or tankers and barges that bring oil onshore. At each stage of testing, exploration, and production, the oil and gas business produces contaminated water, uses toxic drilling muds, and periodically spills oil and toxic liquids into the ocean. Pollutants like mercury and persistent hydrocarbons contaminate fish and sea life near platforms and massive spills kill seabirds, sea turtles, fish and marine mammals. At stake are Virginia’s Chincoteague Island, Cape Cod National Seashore, Sandy Hook in New Jersey, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary, and Pt. Reyes in California, to name just a few. Coastal states with protected beaches benefit from tens of billions of dollars of tourist economy expenditures on everything from hotels, house rentals and meals to fishing tackle and boat rentals. California has a 1,000 mile coast with 450 beaches and tens of billions of dollars of expenditures and tens of thousands of jobs based on ocean-beach recreation. Tourists to Florida, many of them drawn to the states beautiful beaches and coastal waters, generated 85 million visits in 2005 creating almost 1 million jobs and generating $57 billion in taxable transactions. Environment California urges the President and the Congress to reject these wrongheaded proposals and focus on real opportunities to move us towards a clean energy economy. Making our cars, trucks and buildings more efficient and shifting to clean renewable energy is the smart way to solve our energy crisis. Congress should start by passing an extension of tax credits for clean energy sources, plug in hybrids and efficiency. These tax credits are essential for ensuring clean energy solutions like wind, solar and plug-in hybrids make it to the marketplace. We must also make sure that we are going further on a gallon of gasoline. Last year Congress passed the first increase in fuel economy in over 30 years, but we can and should go further. Unfortunately President Bush is shortchanging the American public with a paltry proposal to implement the recently-passed law. We should be achieving 60 miles per gallon by 2025. Congress should also pass a renewable energy standard (RES) that ensures we get 25 % of our electricity from clean renewable sources. We must also increase funding for public transportation and implement a national transportation policy that will reduce costs for consumers and pollution in to the environment. These policies will lower energy costs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and serve as an important step in the emissions reductions that science says will be necessary to curb global warming. Any effort to turn more of our energy future over to the oil companies that have created this problem is a foolish retread of past failures. Solving our energy crisis will require a bold new energy policy that reduces our dependence on dirty fuels, increases our use of clean renewable energy and uses energy more efficiently. 30-30-30 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/statement-of-dan-jacobson-environment-californias-legislative-director-on-proposals-to-open-our-coasts-to-offshore-drilling Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:12:04 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/supreme-court-cuts-exxon-penalty http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/supreme-court-cuts-exxon-penalty Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:47:52 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-opposes-bush/-mccain-plan-to-open-coast-to-oil-drilling Excerpts from Governor Schwarzenegger, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Feinstein, and Senator Boxer attached. Sacramento -- “We are extremely disappointed with Senator John McCain and President George Bush in their call to lift the Congressional moratorium on oil and gas drilling in the outer continental shelf that has protected California’s coastline for decades. The outer continental shelf has been deemed so special that Congress and consecutive presidents have protected our coasts under an Outer Continental Shelf drilling moratorium since 1981. Our coasts provide a destination for thousands of vacationing families each year, the economic lifeblood for thousands of tourism and fishing communities and essential habitat for fish and wildlife. Offshore drilling is the slowest, dirtiest, most expensive way to meet our energy needs, would do nothing to lower gas prices, and will perpetuate the United State’s dependence on oil, rather than moving the country to a smarter, cleaner energy future. In addition, the proposal would put California’s coastal economy at risk. The U.S. has just 3% of the world’s oil and gas reserves, and we consume approximately 25% of the world’s supply, thus we will never be able to drill our way to energy independence. Drilling proponents argue that lifting the moratorium will bring relief from high gas prices despite that fact that it would take seven to ten years to bring any new resources to market, due to the near-term impact on the commodities and futures markets. However, in 2007, President Bush signed legislation that opened an additional 8 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico to new oil and gas drilling. The result is that one year later, gas prices have hit record highs, while the oil industry is making more money than ever. Shell profits this quarter were $9.08 billion, up 25 percent, and BP’s profits soared 63 percent to $7.62 billion. We don’t need to open new areas to drilling. Currently, the oil industry is drilling in just 1,655 of the 7,740 active leases they hold in the outer continental shelf. We need all our elected officials to rally around and protect our coast. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger “California's coastline is an international treasure. I do not support lifting this moratorium on new oil drilling off our coast. “However, I do welcome the national discussion about how to lower the cost of gasoline—soaring prices are taking a toll on California families just as they are across the country. “We are in this situation because of our dependence on traditional petroleum-based oil. The direction our nation needs to go in, and where California is already headed, is toward greater innovation in new technologies and new fuel choices for consumers. That is the way we will ultimately reduce fuel costs and also protect our environment.” House majority speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-CA “Oil companies are sitting on 68 million acres of public lands they have already leased, but President Bush and Senator McCain want to award them with even more. “Americans are suffering under the Bush-Cheney-McCain policies that were written by Big Oil: $4 a gallon gasoline; $134 per barrel oil; increased reliance on foreign sources of energy and on hydrocarbons that contribute to climate change. “Americans use one quarter of the world’s oil consumption every day and we possess less than 2 percent of the world’s supply. We cannot drill our way to energy independence. “Our nation must move toward a new, cleaner, and more affordable energy future that focuses on renewable and increased energy efficiency. The New Direction Congress has already passed innovative energy legislation <http://speaker.gov/issues?id=0031> and will continue to develop other proposals to address high energy costs and shift our nation to a more energy efficient economy. “We look forward to having a President in the White House whose energy policy can no longer be described as ‘drill and veto.’” Senator Diane Feinstein “There are some who believe that the only solution to our skyrocketing energy crisis is to drill, drill, and drill. And one of their primary targets is the Outer Continental Shelf. Congress chose to protect these federal waters from oil exploitation in 1981. And Congress has voted to renew that ban every year since then. But today, these federal protections are under attack. Let me be clear: lifting the moratoria is a false promise and an unnecessary risk. A new investigative report from the House Committee on Natural Resources (http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/images/stories/Documents/truth_about_americas_energy.pdf <http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/images/stories/Documents/truth_about_americas_energy.pdf> ) studied the current system of drilling permits on federal lands and in federal waters. And what they found is this: we simply cannot drill our way out of this problem. Here’s what the report found: There is no correlation between increased drilling and lower gas prices. The number of drilling permits increased by 361 percent from 1999 to 2007. And yet gas prices more than doubled in that time. he vast majority of the oil and natural gas believed to be on the Outer Continental Shelf is already available for exploitation. In fact, 82 percent of natural gas and 79 percent of oil believed to exist on the Outer Continental Shelf is available for drilling throughout existing leases – right now. il and gas companies are failing to exploit the existing drilling permits they have been issued. In fact, there are 10,000 additional permits for 68 million acres of federal lands and waters where drilling leases have been issued, but are not being used to increase production. And about 35.5 million acres of those existing, non-producing leases are located in federal waters. Efforts to reopen the federal waters off the coast of California to drilling could allow unreliable oil rigs to be as close as three miles to our beaches. Californians are all too familiar with the consequences of offshore drilling. An oil spill in 1969 off the coast of Santa Barbara killed thousands of birds, as well as dolphins, seals, and other marine animals. And we know this could happen again. That’s why California has had in place additional protections to prohibit oil and gas drilling in State waters since 1994. The people of California feel strongly about protecting the coast of California from offshore drilling. And so do I. Bottom line: we need a real, long-term strategy to address our nation’s addiction to fossil fuels. We need to reduce our energy consumption. To make the shift towards renewable energy and clean technology. This – and not the mantra of drilling – is the solution to our energy crisis. This is the way forward. The choice could not be clearer.” Senator Barbara Boxer “Today’s statement by President Bush was the height of hypocrisy—two years ago he said America is addicted to oil, and today, he wants to feed that addiction by going back to the past policies of drill, drill, drill. John McCain has now flip-flopped and joined the President’s bandwagon. Not only is this proposal irresponsible and short-sighted, but it flies in the face of President Bush’s father’s legacy. Offshore oil drilling threatens America’s $60 billion coastal economy, and we certainly don’t need to lift the moratoria to allow new leases when the oil companies hold 68 million acres of undeveloped leases. We need to get serious about America’s energy security—that means going after the oil speculators now in order to bring down gas prices, and make the important, long-term investments in alternative fuels, hybrid technology, and energy efficiency.” http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-opposes-bush/-mccain-plan-to-open-coast-to-oil-drilling Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:42:02 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/troubled-oceans New York Times http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/troubled-oceans Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:33:52 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/senate-commerce-committee-votes-to-protect-californias-ocean http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/senate-commerce-committee-votes-to-protect-californias-ocean Thu, 15 May 2008 11:54:43 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-supports-1187 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-supports-1187 Wed, 07 May 2008 11:25:17 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-support-letter-for-1187 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/environment-california-support-letter-for-1187 Wed, 07 May 2008 11:30:45 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/new-federal-rules-will-help-pacific-ocean-fisheries-rebound San Francisco, CA - Federal http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/new-federal-rules-will-help-pacific-ocean-fisheries-rebound Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:04:53 -0500 http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/hr-1187-to-expand-california-marine-ocean-sanctuaries-passes http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/newsroom/oceans/oceans-news/hr-1187-to-expand-california-marine-ocean-sanctuaries-passes Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:34:06 -0500