The Latest Threat to California’s Coast
December, 2005
California’s natural resources – particularly our coastline – are an essential element of California’s economy, which includes fishing and tourism. Recently our environment has been threatened by potentially harmful legislation in Congress. Fortunately, environmental advocates on both sides of the political aisle won a major victory when all language pertaining to offshore oil drilling was pulled from the House Budget Reconciliation Bill in Congress.
For over two decades, Congress has protected the coasts of California, Washington, Oregon, and other US coastal states from expanded offshore drilling in the form of a legislative moratorium. However, over the past several months Congressman Richard Pombo of Tracy has been pushing legislation to lift the longstanding moratorium on offshore drilling. Instead, he would substitute an uncertain and complicated new bureaucracy in which states desiring continued protection would need to submit a “petition” for consideration by the Secretary of Interior to extend their coastal protection five years at a time up to a maximum of ten years. In addition, Pombo wanted to allow oil and gas exploration within 125 miles of the coast and give states incentives to allow oil drilling as close as 50 miles, and natural gas drilling even closer at 25 miles.
For months, most of the Bay Area Congressional delegation and I have vocally opposed these efforts to end 24 years of bipartisan federal protection for coastal states and to oppose opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil exploration. During the last legislative session, I authored Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 14 declaring California’s opposition to Representative Pombo’s plans. Fortunately, Bay Area Congressional members including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Tom Lantos, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, and Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, successfully fought to protect our coast from oil rigs and a potential catastrophic environmental disaster.
As of today, the Budget bill no longer includes language to weaken the oil drilling moratorium or the Arctic drilling provision. It is imperative that House Republicans do not try to return this language to the Budget bill during conference committee.
AJR 14 received support from the California Coastal Protection Network, California Defenders of Wildlife, California League of Conservation Voters, Committee for Green Foothills, San Mateo County, Environment California, Environmental Defense Center, Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Ocean Conservancy, Sequoia Audubon Society, and Sierra Club, among others.
As a legislator representing a number of natural resource and wildlife areas, I take great pride in receiving a 100 percent rating on the Sierra Club Legislative Report Card. The ten priority bills on the Sierra Club scorecard included legislation to prohibit the use of certain pesticides at schools, ban toxic mercury in measuring devices, improve air quality, strengthen water planning, and increase the state wild and scenic river system.
Earlier this year, I also hosted a town hall meeting to help stop federal legislation that would have allowed public access to the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (FNWR). Any public access to this sensitive ecosystem will severely disturb the local wildlife and its habitats. Unfortunately, we must continue to battle the Congressional trend of peeling back important environmental protections.
I look forward to continuing to work to defend the environment from the big polluters who want to destroy the quality of our air, water, and land.
LELAND Y. YEE, PH.D.
Speaker pro Tempore
California State Assembly
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