Today the California State
Assembly voted to tell Congress to stop trying to open California’s coast to new offshore oil and gas drilling. The
joint resolution, AJR 55 (Nava/Yee), urges Congress and, specifically, California’s Congressional delegation to continue the moratorium
on new offshore oil and gas leasing.
“This is California’s way of telling the Bush administration to keep
their hands off our coast,” said Asm. Pedro Nava (Santa Barbara). “Our beaches
have been stained and marine life killed because of an oil spill. Enough
is enough.”
The vote came up days after a
new poll shows little public support for new drilling and an oil spill
devastated a unique West Coast estuary. Environment California commends the Assembly for passing the resolution and
opposing new oil and gas drilling.
The Assembly voted just days
after a new L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll shows the public does not support
relaxing environmental standards to allow for more offshore drilling. In
Western states like California, support was the lowest with only about 10 percent of
respondents backing the relaxed environmental standards that allow for more
drilling.
Nationwide, only 20 percent
of respondents supported relaxing standards. The overall poll showed that
Americans want their leaders to support the environment, not energy policies
that jeopardize it. A majority of respondents believe the government is not
doing enough to protect the environment and would sacrifice economic growth for
more protection.
The vote also came days after
a coastal oil spill devastated a wildlife estuary near Vancouver on August 4. The spill extends nearly two miles and
has damaged a unique ecosystem with the diversity of a tropical rainforest.
Damage from the spill is
likely to last for years. A variety of birds and waterfowl are at risk, as well
as nearby wildlife like bears and otters.
“In light of this latest
spill, the poll numbers, and the Assembly resolution, Environment California
calls on Congress to maintain the moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling.
The House and Senate recently passed separate bills that end this moratorium,”
said Dan Jacobson, legislative director for Environment California. “Rather
than reconcile differences between the bills, Congress should let the bills die
and keep the moratorium that preserves the environmental integrity of
Californian and American coasts.”
The Assembly’s resolution,
AJR 55, asks Congress to do just that.
