Laguna Beach Calls For End To Offshore Drilling

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Mayor Bob Whalen and other elected city officials co-signed a letter calling on California's U.S. senators and Orange County's congressional delegation to demand an end to all oil drilling in federal waters off the state's coast.

The letter was also signed by Mayor Pro Tem Sue Kempf and Councilmembers Peter Blake, Toni Iseman and George Weiss, as well as by state Sens. Dave Min (D) and Josh Newman (D) in demanding an end to all drilling in federal waters off California's coast.

The letter was addressed to U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) and all seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Orange County: Reps. Linda Sanchez (D), Young Kim (R), Katie Porter (D), Lou Correa (D), Alan Lowenthal (D), Michelle Steel (R) and Mike Levin (D).

"As elected officials representing Orange County, including the areas most impacted by the recent Orange County Oil Spill, we are writing to urge you, as Orange County’s Congressional delegation, to propose and champion legislation that would end ALL offshore oil drilling, including drilling performed under current leases, in federal waters near the California coast."

Two days earlier, Min vowed to introduce state legislation banning all drilling in California state waters.

The letter was also signed by elected officials from Huntington Beach, which was heavily affected by the spill, including Mayor Kim Carr, Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Delgleize and Councilmembers Rhonda Bolton, Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser.

None of the federal officials have so far advocated a ban on all current drilling operations.

Feinstein proposed the West Coast Ocean Preservation Act, which would end new offshore drilling in federal waters in the Pacific Ocean.

Levin supported an American Coasts and Oceans Protection Act, which would also halt new offshore drilling in federal waters.

"A moratorium on future drilling in federal waters would not have prevented this spill," said Min, who represents all three coastal towns most affected by the spill: Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. "Nor would it have prevented any of the major oil spills that have terrorized our beautiful coastal ecosystems over the past 40 years."

California has not issued new drilling leases in more than 50 years.

The letter argued that the cost of spills to California's economy, natural resources and military were huge and threatened "a $44 billion coastal economy that employs over half a million Californians. The economic impacts of the Orange County oil spill are likely to be significant and to last for some time. The economic benefits of offshore drilling are minuscule by comparison."

The letter added: "But given the economic and environmental impacts of this Orange County Oil Spill, and the future risks that offshore drilling poses to our precious coastal communities, we are urging you to be Orange County’s champions in the United States Congress and commit to ending all offshore drilling, including under current leases, in federal waters off the coast of California."

Read the letter in its entirety here.