FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2018, 3:00pm
Statement by Lucas Zucker, Policy Director, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy:
“Governor Brown’s move to stop offshore drilling by signing SB 834 and AB 1775 is a good first step to protect coastal communities from oil spills that endanger our health and access to open space. If the Governor is serious about stopping the worst impacts of climate change, he needs to take action to stop onshore drilling in places like Kern County and South Los Angeles where communities of color have been fighting the health impacts of oil drilling next to homes and schools. Real climate leadership means committing to a managed decline of oil and gas production across the state.
In Santa Barbara County, there’s offshore drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara, but just about 50 miles north of there, they are proposing to drill over 750 new oil wells in what would become one of the largest oil fields in California. This is outside of Santa Maria which is a 75% Latino community. Stopping onshore drilling to protect clean drinking water for agricultural communities like Santa Maria is just as important as protecting coastal communities like Santa Barbara from offshore drilling.”
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