The President has taken sweeping action to block new oil and gas development off of most of the nation’s coastlines, a step which will provide new protections for the Central and South Coasts.
"This is going to impact all future unleased lands in the Outer Continental Shelf...this is a big deal," said Democratic Congressman Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara.
He's one of those legislators who’s been pushing President Biden to act. The President used a federal law to withdraw 625 million acres of the ocean in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Areas from offshore drilling.
"It is bigger than California. We're obviously very relieved to have the West Coast protected. President Biden's order protects most of the nation's coastline from the threat of oil and gas development," said Linda Krop, who is Chief Counsel for the Santa Barbara based Environmental Defense Council. The non-profit has worked to stop oil and gas development in the region for decades.
"It's important for a few reasons. We're obviously very cognizant that every time you have oil and gas development, you have the risk of a spill. We've certainly experienced that. And, probably even more importantly from a climate perspective, you have to prevent more fossil fuel production, to avert future climate disasters." said Krop.
The President used a federal law, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, to take the action. There’s no expiration date to the withdrawal, and it blocks all future oil and gas leasing in the designated areas, which are in federal waters.
It involves the eastern U.S. Atlantic Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington, and the Northern Bering Sea, in northwestern Alaska.
In a statement, the President said drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places that are dear, and are unnecessary to meet the nation’s energy needs. He said it isn’t worth the risks.
Appearing on a national radio show, President-elect Donald Trump said he would undo the ban as soon as he takes office. There are questions about whether the new President could do that, because there's no mechanism in the law. It might take an act of Congress.
There’s hasn’t been new oil or gas development on our coastline for decades. Krop said the biggest concern isn't the potential for new leases. She said it’s efforts to reactivate an oil pipeline which ruptured on the Gaviota Coast in 2015, causing a massive spill. That accident left three offshore oil platforms idle, with no way to move oil.
"The biggest threat is Sable's proposal to restart the Santa Ynez Unit, which are the three units (offshore oil platforms) you see off the Gaviota Coast," said Krop. "Those platforms have been shut down since 2013, when the onshore pipeline ruptured at Refugio State Beach. Sable bought these facilities from Exxon-Mobil and wants to restart the corroded pipeline. So, that raises the risk of another oil spill. It also would create a problem in terms of climate change, because that project when it was operational was the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the county."
Opponents say at the least, much more environmental review is needed. The fight involves state agencies, and could end up in court.
While environmentalists are celebrating President Biden’s new move to protect the nation’s coastlines, they are also concerned about the future.
President-elect Trump pushed to roll back a number of environmental protections during his first term, and he’s made it clear that’s his plan now.
"Whether its the Environmental Protection Agency policies, or other rules, and laws, I am concerned. I think it's going to require us to be very vigilant," said Carbajal. "We need to fight him in Congress, and the courts."
In addition to the new protections, the Biden Administration will leave office with another legacy for the Tri-Counties. Last year’s creation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary permanently preserves more than 4500 square miles of ocean and coastline in our region.
