Slick Move Opposed by BREATHE LA

BREATHE LA joins Environment California in opposing the Governor's provision allowing oil drilling off the Santa Barbara coast.

"The provision to issue new drilling leases off the coast of Santa Barbara runs counter to our state's clean air emissions goals," says Dan Witzling, BREATHE LA Environmental Program Manager and Advocacy Committee staff. Under the hard-won compromise-laden budget agreement reached Monday night, the state agrees to permit oil drilling off the Santa Barbara coast for the first time in 40 years.

BREATHE LA urges you to contact your state representatives and the governor's offices to voice disapproval of this environmentally dangerous move. Although there is little time to take effective action and little chance the budget proposal will fail,

BREATHE LA opposes the insertion of this provision. We will watch closely and report to you as more information becomes available.

BREATHE LA agrees with Dan Jacobson, legislative director for Environment California, a partner advocacy group, who condemns the plan, "Our coast is our economy, and our economy is our coast."

The Sacramento Bee quotes California Lt. Governor Garamendi, also chair of State Lands Commission, "The Governor just put California's coastline up for sale when he had other options that don't put our natural resources at risk. He refused to approve a plan to tax oil companies that now extract oil in California to fund health care services, children's programs and education. California is the only oil producing state without an oil severance tax, and it would generate $1.2 billion dollars annually for our state," Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi said. "Instead, we are taking dirty money. Big Oil has offered to California $100 million dollars to seduce the state into granting the first new oil drilling lease in California since the Santa Barbara oil spill 41 years ago. The loan must be repaid by forgiving future royalty payments to California. This is an incredibly reckless fiscal policy."

Photo of "Volunteer Cleaning Up Pollution" © Tristan Savatier - - Used by Permission