Central Coast congressman wants to ban oil, gas drilling off California coast: 'It's time'

Jan. 29—Congressman Salud Carbajal introduced an ambitious new bill to the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday that would permanently ban new oil and gas drilling off the Central Coast.

The California Clean Coast Act of 2021 was read to the House on the anniversary of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, which dumped an estimated 3 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean. At that time, it was the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

"The Central Coast has witnessed the devastation of oil spills first-hand, including the toll they take on our coastal communities, local economies, and fragile ocean ecosystems," Carbajal said in a news release Thursday. "Fifty-two years and several oil spills later, we must pass this bill and permanently end new oil and gas development off our shore."

"It's time we relied less on fossil fuels and more on renewable energies, like offshore wind, which will create energy and good-paying jobs without damaging our environment or our planet," the Central Coast congressman said in the release.

Rep. Carbajal has introduced the same legislation in previous years, but the bill has never passed.

The California Clean Coast Act of 2021 comes on the heels of a new executive order signed Wednesday by President Joe Biden that directed the Secretary of the Interior to pause new oil and gas leases on public lands or offshore waters "to the extent possible."

Biden's executive order also requires the federal Department of the Interior to review existing leasing and permitting practices "related to fossil fuel development" on the federal properties.

Republicans have said the order may negatively impact jobs, but White House national climate advisor Gina McCarthy said the Biden administration is focused on creating jobs as part of its plan to address climate change.

The order temporarily halts new oil and gas drilling in areas such as Los Padres National Forest, which spans several California counties, and Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo.

Existing oil drilling in Carrizo Plain National Monument, which has drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups, can go ahead as planned because the lease was already in place, according to the Biden administration.

The vast majority of U.S. petroleum is extracted on private lands, making it exempt from the Biden administration's order. Only 10% of current oil development is on federal lands, according to the Los Padres ForestWatch.

"The Trump administration has left our local public lands vulnerable to rampant industrialization. We applaud the Biden administration for this first step toward making our forests and grasslands part of the climate solution, not part of the climate problem," Los Padres ForestWatch advocacy director Rebecca August said in a statement. "We work to protect these iconic landscapes and last wild places for the public good, not to hand over to the oil industry. We look forward to working with Congress and the Biden administration to enact lasting protection for places like Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument."

Carbajal, a three-term California congressman, won re-election in 2020. He represents California's 24th congressional district, which encompasses San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties as well as part of northern Ventura County.

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