Politics & Government
LA County Bans Offshore Oil Drilling
The Board of Supervisors voted to ban drilling off the LA county coastline in response to President Trump's plan to expand offshore drilling
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution Tuesday supporting a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling.
Supervisor Sheila Kuehl recommended backing a ban that would apply to new leases and the construction of any new offshore oil platforms in state and federal waters off the California coast.
"Offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration threaten the Pacific Ocean and its life systems by putting it at risk of catastrophic oil spills and other damage," Kuehl said in a motion co-authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn.
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The move comes in reaction to the Trump administration's five-year plan -- announced in January -- to expand offshore drilling in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.
No new federal offshore oil or gas leases have been granted off the California coast since 1984.
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Gov. Jerry Brown, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the California Senate, the California Coastal Commission and the State Lands Commission have all taken a stand against offshore drilling, with the land commission saying it will refuse permits for infrastructure needed to bring oil or gas ashore.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas abstained from the 4-0 vote.
City News Service; Photo: (State Lands Commission via AP)
