Not the Answer in San Francisco

Sierra Club's Allison Chin (in a Not the Answer t-shirt) and lots of Surfrider Not the Answer signs at the San Francisco OCS Hearing:

Oil Drilling: Pointless

Are you a PIMBY?

What's a PIMBY?

A PIMBY -is someone who says, Please In My Back Yard!

How many PIMBY's are in Southern CA?

We don't know, but there's a good chance your congressional representatives might be.

Let them know you don't want our coastlines sacrificed as part of a "grand bargain" - see below.

From the New Yorker:

Obama's White House is filled with former members of Congress and congressional staffers. They are legislative strategists and dealmakers, and these days they often use the phrase "grand bargain" when asked how they expect to achieve their ambitious agenda. The senior White House official told me that they were exploring an energy deal that would include a "serious" and "short-term" increase in domestic production-perhaps opening up for oil exploration places like the waters off the coast of California-that would appease the "Drill, baby, drill" crowd, while also adopting a cap-and-trade plan that could take effect one or two (or more) years after 2012, which is when Obama's current plan would start. "You need to have something like T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore holding hands on a broad compromise," the official said. Such a plan wouldn't look much like the one in Obama's budget proposal-more like a third cousin than like a sibling, let alone a twin-but, unlike his current plan, it could get through Congress.

California Legislature Believes our Beaches are Worth Protecting

In contrast to Florida (see below), the CA State Assembly appropriately celebrated Earth Day when Assemblymember Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) and Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) led California's strong legislative opposition to expansion of off-shore oil drilling. The California State Assembly approved Nava's Assembly Joint Resolution 3.

"My colleagues in the Legislature sent a strong message on behalf of all Californians, that we do not want increased offshore oil and gas drilling and demand reinstatement of the federal moratorium," said Nava. "Not only is this an environmental issue, but is also an economic one. Almost a million jobs and billions of dollars are created and produced by coastal recreation, tourism and the fishing industry. Our coast must be protected for future generations."

"Drilling off California's coast is a bad idea," said Assemblymember Noreen Evans. "All the oil off our coast would supply our nation with enough gas for only 17 months and would have no effect on gas prices. But it would cost us far more in lost tourism and risk another oil spill. That's a price Californian's don't want to pay." Assembly Joint Resolution 3 by Assemblymember Pedro Nava and Assemblymember Noreen Evans requests that the Congress of the United States reinstate the federal offshore oil and gas leasing moratorium for the 2009 fiscal year and beyond. The measure also memorializes the Legislature's opposition to the proposed expansion of oil and gas drilling off the Pacific Coast and any federal energy policies and legislation that would weaken California's role in energy siting decisions.

Florida Not Clear on the Concept

For today on Earth Day, the Florida House of Representatives passed the Enviornmental Control Bill, HB 1219, which will lift the ban of off-shore drilling off the coast of Florida and allow Gov. Crist and his cabinet to grant leases to oil companies for gas and oil exploration, and allow the construction of oil rigs three miles off the coast of Florida. The Senate is currently working on their version of the same bill.

Hopefully the Florida Senate or at least Governor Crist will come to their senses and realize this is NOT THE ANSWER!

San Francisco MMS Hearing Summary

Dressed as sea turtles, jellyfish and other marine life, environmentalists were among dozens of people to pack a public hearing Thursday to press Interior Secretary Ken Salazar not to open new areas of the West Coast to oil drilling.

The public forum, the last of four such meetings around the country with Salazar, also drew state and federal lawmakers concerned about the effects any expansion of offshore drilling could have on the region's economy and natural beauty.

Sen. Barbara Boxer drew cheers from the crowd as she emphatically told Salazar that California opposes such action.

"Our state is saying clearly to you today, no," she declared at the opening of the hearing at the UC San Francisco Mission Bay campus.

Read more at San Francisco Chronicle: White House pressed to stop offshore drilling

More stories...

Reuters: Californians say "baby, baby, no more drilling"

AlterNet: The Consequences of 'Drill, Baby Drill': More Than 90 Oil Spills a Day in the U.S.

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Anti-oil drilling forces view Interior Secretary as ally

(Click here from from great Press Democrat photos)

San Jose Mercury News: As We See It: Don't drill off the coast

The idea of drilling for oil off our coast has been fought by local environmentalists for decades -- for good reason.

A catastrophic oil spill would cause untold damage to our pristine shoreline and irrevocably harm ocean life.

Fortunately, in 1992, President George H.W. Bush signed into law a moratorium on offshore drilling and set the largest boundaries for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which permanently protected a quarter of California's coast.

Now local groups involved in ocean protection are organizing to ensure protections stay in place. The ban on offshore drilling expired under the last Bush administration, which also proposed to allow drilling in formerly off-limits areas, including the California coast.

While that proposal would not allow drilling in the sanctuary, a spill outside the boundaries could still foul waters and shorelines and kill sea life.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has convened a public hearing starting at 8 a.m. today in San Francisco to discuss the government's five-year plan for oil development.

The California coastal part of the plan should be simple: Don't drill.


Los Angeles Times: Californians voice concerns to Obama administration over offshore drilling

KTVU Channel 2 - View Video

CNN Anderson Cooper’s Blog


KGO San Francisco local ABC

Outside the hearing, offshore drilling opponents held a rally dressed in costumes and listened to speakers representing environmental organizations. Inside, the hearing was dominated by elected officials -- most of them from California -- and all of them expressed the same point of view.

"Some other states may feel differently. Our state clearly is saying to you today 'no,'" said Democratic Senator Boxer of California.

KRON-TV, Channel 4, San Francisco, April 16

White House pressed to stop offshore drilling

SAN FRANCISCO - Environmentalists and California lawmakers are urging Interior Secretary Ken Salazar not to open new areas of the West Coast to oil drilling.

Protesters came out to today's public hearing in San Francisco dressed as sea turtles, jellyfish and other marine life.

Senator Barbara Boxer drew cheers from the crowd as she emphatically told Salazar that California opposes offshore drilling. The Democratic senator says the California coastline is a huge economic asset to the state "just as it is."

Transworld Business Magazine interviews Matt McClain

Transworld Business just published a brief interview with Surfrider Foundation's Director of Marketing & Communications, Matt McClain.


Never one to mince words, Matt dispells some of the myths surrounding the offshore drilling.

Click here to read the interview.