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PROJECT GREEN

’69 Flashback

Forty years ago, an oil spill near Santa Barbara, Calif., spawned environmental activism. Not surprisingly, residents are none too happy with President Bush's offshore drilling plan.

By Jamie Reno | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jul 16, 2008 | Updated: 3:08  p.m. ET Jul 16, 2008

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  • Posted By: Cashew @ 08/28/2008 6:12:45 AM

    Listen to this message. The Big oil companies want to drill off shore because it will make it much easier to ship the crude overseas in large tankers. The oil companies would have to move it across land, which would cost so much more, if they drilled inland. Bush, Chaney, and McCain are bought and paid for by these oil companies. Ofcourse they want to help big oil business and are boosting this propaganda and expecting us to swollow it hook, line, and sinker. McCain is a followier, not a leader.

  • Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 08/08/2008 9:20:22 PM

    The best way to effectively exploit our offshore resources and really help the average American is to divide up the 4.4 million square miles of US offshore economic zone among the 218 million Americans adults who are 18 years and older according to the 2003 US census. Because a square mile equals 640 acres and you multiply 4.4 million square miles times 640 acres, there would be 2.816 billion offshore acres to be divided among the 218 million American adults. The current federally leased acreage of roughly 100 million acres both onshore and offshore represents roughly only three and a half percent of the total 2.8 billion offshore exclusive economic zone acreage of land that could be leased and divided up by all Americans. Subtract out that acreage and you still have 2.7 billion unleased acreage. Granted this remaining acreage may not be the best prospects but we won???t know for sure until there is actual drilling. The Democrats say that there is 80 million acres leased and the oil companies are sitting on it. Well here are 2.7 billion new acres that new and older drilling companies can bid on.
    Under this proposal, every adult in the US would be entitled to 12.8 acres of mineral rights to offshore production. A lottery could be set up to randomly assign 12.8 acres to every American. You may end up with mineral rights to acreage south of Canada???s Hibernia offshore project 300 miles south of Newfoundland that is producing 50,000 barrels a day from only one well. The resulting lottery would create ten of thousands of instant American millionaires whose acreage abuts known contiguous offshore oil fields. A market to buy and sell acreage rights could be created which would put money into the pockets of those who acreage contains unknown oil potential. Turning over the acreage to ordinary Americans to collect leasing revenues and royalty rights will empower Americans and stimulate the economy. We do not need the Minerals Management Service of the Department of Interior and Nancy Pelosi to argue over the next four years which tracts of land should be leased and have that money end up going into the General Treasury. Its your money and you can get it now when you sell the rights to drill for oil and collect your royalties for the next twenty years.

  • Posted By: mccainsupporter @ 08/08/2008 9:18:30 PM

    Democrats under the leadership of Barack Obama want to effectively give away in trust our offshore exclusive economic zone by standing in the way of any current offshore development. Under the 1982 United Nations Law of the Seas Convention the US has an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles and mineral seabed rights up to 350 nautical miles extending along the Continental shelf. A nautical mile is 6080 feet so our exclusive economic zone extends about 240 miles and mineral seabed rights extend 420 miles. The US has the world's largest offshore exclusive economic zone totaling 4.4 million square miles. In comparison, the total land area of the United States is only 3.4 million square miles.
    On the East coast alone, if you drive from Key West Florida to Bangor Maine it is 2000 miles. Multiply the 2000 miles by mineral seabed rights extending out 420 miles results in a total of 840,000 square miles of ocean acreage. Because we have the world's largest offshore coastline which is twenty-five percent greater than our land area, it only makes common sense that we exploit our offshore resources to achieve our energy independence.

  • Posted By: cekiert @ 07/27/2008 10:00:15 PM

    I think it would be funny to add to your statement, millions of Americans are overweight just a thought jimbo3800 get off the computer and walk a little!

  • Posted By: cekiert @ 07/27/2008 9:49:03 PM

    Amish? on a computer... figure that one out! Besides the fact that some people think oil is the only fuel in the world, and beside the fact that 4$ a gallon is nothing like 5$ a liter(Europe(2006)). The ocean contains 90% of the worlds Animal species, and offers 80% of the worlds oxygen(with large resources of algae offshore in CA) in addition to those facts consider the average oil tanker built increasing in size compared to 1969 STD stdstandardstandard

  • Posted By: cekiert @ 07/27/2008 9:48:37 PM

    Amish? on a computer... figure that one out! Besides the fact that some people think oil is the only fuel in the world, and beside the fact that 4$ a gallon is nothing like 5$ a liter(Europe(2006)). The ocean contains 90% of the worlds Animal species, and offers 80% of the worlds oxygen(with large resources of algae offshore in CA) in addition to those facts consider the average oil tanker built increasing in size compared to 1969 STD stdstandardstandard

  • Posted By: dtbham @ 07/19/2008 2:17:46 PM

    The solution to help an addict is not to keep feeding it. Offshore drilling is a horrible idea before you even consider the environmental impacts. I also agree that people need to start driving a lot less, I also think we need to stop depending on foreign oil. However drilling offshore is just putting a band aid on a deep wound, so even if all the scientific data on the impacts are not in, then why risk it. The money we spend on developing new drill sites could easily be spent in developing new technologies while maintaining a balanced ecosystem in the ocean.

    • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 07/19/2008 8:50:22 PM

      Just brilliant. So how exactly do you expect the millions of Americans to get to work, school, doctor's appointments, etc. on Monday morning? Next week? Next month? Will you be burning any fuel in this timeframe, or are you Amish?

      Your niavete and wishful thinking on this subject are just breathtaking.

  • Posted By: pezled @ 07/19/2008 8:19:38 AM

    Maybe I would be willing to listen to the folks in Santa Barbara if they were willing to STOP DRIVING CARS and USING GAS!!!!!! But as long as those high minded california types keep gussling the gas, they shouldn't be whining over where it comes from. Sheesh.

  • Posted By: dlangley25 @ 07/18/2008 3:38:09 PM

    The people of Santa Barbara need to make decisions based on data. In 1969, cell phones, the Internet and most oil drilling technologies of today didn't exist. Annual Oil Seepage equals the total spill amount of 1969. Hurricane Katrina had no effect on the oil platforms in the gulf. Getting the oil out of the ground (Drilling) actually reduces our pollution. This was recognized in a university science study in 1999.

    http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=412

    It's easy for politicians to say "I am against more drilling" to stay in office but drilling reduces pollution and reduces our dependency on foreign wackos who want to kill us and destroy Israel. We also need to reduce the billions of dollars that we send them. And, what about signaling the market that we are drilling to protect our national interests and this signaling along will reduce oil prices and reduce what we pay at the pump.

  • Posted By: dlangley25 @ 07/18/2008 3:38:09 PM

    The people of Santa Barbara need to make decisions based on data. In 1969, cell phones, the Internet and most oil drilling technologies of today didn't exist. Annual Oil Seepage equals the total spill amount of 1969. Hurricane Katrina had no effect on the oil platforms in the gulf. Getting the oil out of the ground (Drilling) actually reduces our pollution. This was recognized in a university science study in 1999.

    http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=412

    It's easy for politicians to say "I am against more drilling" to stay in office but drilling reduces pollution and reduces our dependency on foreign wackos who want to kill us and destroy Israel. We also need to reduce the billions of dollars that we send them. And, what about signaling the market that we are drilling to protect our national interests and this signaling along will reduce oil prices and reduce what we pay at the pump.

  • Posted By: dlangley25 @ 07/18/2008 3:37:20 PM

    The people of Santa Barbara need to make decisions based on data. In 1969, cell phones, the Internet and most oil drilling technologies of today didn't exist. Annual Oil Seepage equals the total spill amount of 1969. Hurricane Katrina had no effect on the oil platforms in the gulf. Getting the oil out of the ground (Drilling) actually reduces our pollution. This was recognized in a university science study in 1999.

    http://www.ia.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=412

    It's easy for politicians to say "I am against more drilling" to stay in office but drilling reduces pollution and reduces our dependency on foreign wackos who want to kill us and destroy Israel. We also need to reduce the billions of dollars that we send them. And, what about signaling the market that we are drilling to protect our national interests and this signaling along will reduce oil prices and reduce what we pay at the pump.

  • Posted By: vlhamilton @ 07/18/2008 1:18:22 PM

    Even the big oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens says that we cannot drill our way out of this energy crisis. Too bad that so many clueless Right-Wing Americans keep trying to drill in the beautiful, non-replacable wildlife refuges on our planet. As a 44 year Santa Barbara resident, I helped try to save some of the wildlife drenched with oil in 1969, but it was a pretty fruitless effort overall. My daugther, who was only 6 years old at the time, still remembers that event vividly and with much sadness. The pristine beaches in this area are Santa Barbara's main tourist attraction on which most of our city's economy is based. I hope to God that John McCain is defeated in November. He is Bush all over again. He has received over $1.6 million in campaign contributions from the oil industry and has at least 33 former oil lobbyists advising him. America cannot afford another "Oil President" in the White House!

    • Posted By: HolyRoller @ 07/18/2008 3:25:23 PM

      do you drive a moped??? or a tricycle????

      NOBAMA!!!

      • Posted By: cekiert @ 07/27/2008 10:06:04 PM

        no, but I get 60mpg on my motorcycle, not 9mpg in a truck or suv the size of a motorhome

      • Posted By: dtbham @ 07/19/2008 2:28:17 PM

        Do drive a terror mobile?

  • Posted By: axisone @ 07/18/2008 10:28:14 AM

    IFIRST IT WAS A SINGLE HULLED TANKER SPILL NOT A DRILLING PLATFORM.
    SECOND THE G-PS NAVIGATION OH TAM=NKERS IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE TODAY IT E=WAS NOT EVEN A DREAM IN 1969/
    THIRD 1969 IS THE YEAR I MARRIED 39 YEARS A GO. GET OVER IT. SPSOMERVILLEMD

    • Posted By: cekiert @ 07/27/2008 10:19:30 PM

      oh nice GPS is considered fool proof now(consider its a known world war tactic to destroy the usa gps system, as we have so many gps guide weapons) what happens to all the ships floating in the ocean on autopilot or a direct strike of lightning in a storm to the ship if a double or even triple hull ship hits land itll act like foil being shot at. it isnt a plastic model that can balance on your finger, its a over 1 billion pounds of matter

  • Posted By: austin c @ 07/18/2008 9:39:50 AM

    Being in one of the most expansive area to live, the home owner in Santa Barbara can probably afford even higher gasoline price. What is needed is better safty measure for offshore oil drilling. The same should apply to nuclear power plant, which requires high level of safety control. Alternative energy developments such as solar and wind power which is under intensive development as well as hydrogen powered engine can hardly achieve significantly energy supply in terms of total power supply by coal and fossil fuel. This has been experienced by the Germans, who has been quite ahead of the game on alternative power. Let's not bet our limited financial and human resouces too heavily on alternative energy alone. To be realistic, we probably have to rely on conventional power supply for a long while by surviving better in terms of heallth and environment concerns.

  • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 07/17/2008 8:48:10 PM

    These land-of-fruits-and-nuts Californians are killing me. It's our tax dollars that bail their a$$'s out of every disaster they have (seems like one a month - the wildfires were just the latest), so it seems to me that the very least they can do is drill for oil off their precious coastline and supply the rest of us.

    • Posted By: metzlerd @ 07/18/2008 8:52:06 AM

      How do you think your going to get your hands on the oil? It will belong to a private company, and they will most likely sell to China; unless you're willing to pay the same price as China. It won't affect the price. There isn't enough oil there to affect the price.

      So ultimately the question is are you going to bail them out of the next oil spill? You didn't do a good job of bailing them out of the last one, so they probably won't trust your word on that.

      Also you might consider replacing your lawn with a food garden. I mean if you're going to go tick off Californians, they may not want to provide your fruits and vegetables anymore, so you might just consider taking up farming yourself, . ;-)

  • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 07/17/2008 3:20:23 PM

    Heh. Their ''psyches''recovered enough[as evidenced by my recent trip there],to observe hundreds of gas-guzzling SUVs tooling along the main drags shops and eateries.,with licence-plate frames helpfully illistrating that these were purchased in the immediate area. Obviously,enviromentalisms greatest burden is a failure to shed the ''Do As I Say,Not As I Do'',label hung round their necks.

  • Posted By: loriw @ 07/17/2008 1:43:04 PM

    If you haven't gone to the Black Tides a Time Line above please do. I highly recommend it.

  • Posted By: Karenn1 @ 07/17/2008 10:44:54 AM

    This is earthquack country,we need the oil to lube mother earth joints.Go to florida and drill over their.Who cares what Bush wants or is what cheney wants.

  • Posted By: dunnhaupt @ 07/17/2008 8:01:17 AM

    A map of the coastal shelf shows that it is located close to the Pacific beaches but a hundred miles away from the Atlantic beaches. Shelf drilling on the Atlantic is obviously much safer. Indeed China (with Cuba's help) has already started drilling there.

  • Posted By: mgb1unc @ 07/17/2008 1:31:10 AM

    These idiots in California have a better chance of being wiped out by an earthquake than suffering from an oil spill. So, some old-timers get their panties in a knot because of an oil spill forty years ago, get some therapy. Our dependency on foreign oil has reached a crisis point and is a matter of national security and future prosperity. Something needs to be done and done now. I'm so tired of everyone talking about what to do... just do it and get on with it.

    • Posted By: metzlerd @ 07/17/2008 5:42:04 PM

      Heh heh... 30 years ago somebody like you said the exact same thing. And the wonderous solution was... wait for it... Drill for more oil! How do you like the progress?

      Yeah I don't think those people in California think much of it either. Of course that's why they're working on alternative energy solutions, and opposing more oil drilling.

    • Posted By: summer4077 @ 07/17/2008 10:50:58 AM

      The oil in new reserves wouldn't be usable for at least 10 years, and probably much longer. So "do it now and get on with it" isn't going to help things now. In 10 years we could have a huge increase in hybrid cars...why not go that route?

      • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 07/17/2008 8:38:54 PM

        This is the same old song and dance from the liberals. In 1995, they got their panties in a bunch (I like that line some much I just have to use it) over ANWR, and at the time whined that it would take 10 years to develop it. Guess what, libs; it's now 13 years later and if we hadn't listened to your nonsense then, we wouldn't be in this predicament.

        Plus, the 10 year horizon is nonsense; I've heard oil industry experts say they can get it pumping in 2 - 3 years if need be.

        • Posted By: metzlerd @ 07/18/2008 11:00:38 AM

          Same old song and dance? Where have you been? The song we've been playing and the dance we've been doing is DRILL FOR MORE OIL. We've been doing that for over 30 years. You'd think by now, you'd be ready to give a different song and dance a shot.

    • Posted By: loriw @ 07/17/2008 3:16:06 AM

      Ok, I'm outside in your yard sinking a well and building a big ugly oil derrick right now. Go ahead look out your window. See it? Now we're going to take all the oil produced and pipeline it to California. How does it feel?

      • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 07/17/2008 8:39:29 PM

        Not a problem at all.

        Drill Here
        Drill Now
        Pay Less

  • Posted By: BlindWine.com @ 07/16/2008 11:39:19 PM

    Whatever. I have lived in SB for the last twenty years. We have the highest gas prices in the nation; while all you complain on gas hitting the 4 dollar mark.. we are at 5 dollars a gallon! Hell, i love NHRA, SUVs, and driving cars, but there is NO truth in putting more oil rigs off our shore to reduce the price anytime soon. India and China are pushing the prices sky high, even if we drive 100% Priuses! We need to force all the obese Americans to get out and ride a bike, one way or another. Santa Barbarans are 100% against more OIL rigs off our shores..

  • Posted By: eaglwlker12 @ 07/16/2008 8:55:02 PM

    They don't want drilling, Let them walk

    • Posted By: loriw @ 07/17/2008 3:08:24 AM

      How about if they drill off their coast they get to keep the oil in their state. Who said they need to provide it to you? You'll be walking then, I'm guessing.

      • Posted By: metzlerd @ 07/17/2008 5:46:01 PM

        Uh... I don't think they'll get it either. Why would a big oil company give it to American's? Heck half the companies are foreign companies. They're going to sell to the Chinese.

  • Posted By: ARTGEMGUY @ 07/16/2008 8:46:53 PM

    Nature will and always taken care of itself. The need for human use trumps the ecology anytime. We just need to travel less travel by air only if needed, give up travel to other countries for now, get rid of gas engine technology with electric and other new technology. Let's get solar and wind energy moving fast and get rid of the detroit mentality that placed stop-light-racing in vogue. detroit! we do not need 1000HP 200MPR cars that have little use. Our engineers and desidners can design better and will given the reght leadership and an incentive to do so. If detroit had better leadership it would still be a leader in auto design.

    • Posted By: metzlerd @ 07/18/2008 7:38:54 AM

      ARTGEMGUY,
      This statement is pretty naive.
      - "Nature will and always taken care of itself."

      Essentially you are saying, no matter what anyone does to the environment, nature will repair the damage.
      But, that only works if nature is the only one causing the damage.

      A case in point. I as a human can decide that I can build a bomb and blow up your house while you're at work. (Nature will not rebuild your house.)
      I as a Californian can divert water from Colorado into California. (Nature will not replace the water that disappeared from Arizona.)
      I as a human can accidently stear an oil tanker into shore causing a huge oil spill that coats the beach for miles. (Nature will not remove that oil. Nor will it bring back a species that becomes extinct because of it. Nor will it restore the livelihood of a fisherman who use to count on that nearby; river to make his living on the salmon run that got wiped out because of the spill. Nor will it restore the recreational industry in the area that got wiped out because the beaches are coated in oil sludge.)

      When we do things that don't naturally occur, nature may not be prepared to deal with it, and especially in those cases, people have to deal with it. If not the people that caused the damage, then certainly the ones who are impacted by it.

      One other little tidbit:
      Your very existance depends on the health of the environment. No matter how big your ego is, you can not escape that fact. You may think that everything begins and ends with the store, but in reality it all ultimately comes from nature.

  • Posted By: ARTGEMGUY @ 07/16/2008 8:35:00 PM

    Nature will take care of itself, always has and always will. The need for oil to support human needs trumps the so called enviormental worry. The best we can do is to cutback on driving, slow down and vacation in our own state giving up foreign travel and flying only if necessary. Lets get the gasengin fall by the wayside and get engineering electric andother concept on line NOW!

  • Posted By: SBmyHome @ 07/16/2008 8:29:44 PM

    I've lived in Santa Barbara for 20 years. I can tell you for a fact that, while it is certainly politically incorrect to say so out loud here, many Santa Barbarans recognize the necessity for more offshore drilling, including off our own beloved coast. It is silly to think the days of oil are past...America will need it for decades to come even if we are wildly successful in developing new alternatives. The NIMBYism expressed by the Mayor is far from unanimous. While I like Mayor Blum personally, I am embarrassed by the elitist tone of her comments in the article...she basically says "we're too good to have drilling here so solve the energy crises some other way...and someplace far away from us...but we still want cheaper gas for our cars." Probably good for her re-election, but sure makes others hate our city.

    • Posted By: metzlerd @ 07/17/2008 5:52:45 PM

      You think people will hate your city less if we drill for more oil! Excellent! Now we have an actual benefit.
      Gas prices will still go through the roof, and what doesn't spill off your coast will be sold to China and other countries by the PRIVATE company that does the drilling, while Americans pay ever increasing gas prices.

      But hey... at least people won't hate your city; assuming it doesn't become another oil sludge!

  • Posted By: ScubaDawg61 @ 07/16/2008 8:23:59 PM

    Oil will be needed as a raw material for manufacturing many materials that we depend on for a long time, which is actually an argument for not using it as a source of energy where it is burned once and then gone forever. The sun is a star that burns constantly, not just "during the day". Simply because the sun has set at your house does not mean it's gone out. The energy from the sun can be captured and transmitted over lines all of the time. In addition, energy captured by solar cells at your house but not stored or consumed immediately (as in during the daytime when many people are at work and not at home) can be sold to the power utility. That income can be used to buy back power during the evening. Wind, ironically, is also solar based and therefore "on" all of the time. A funny comment may make you more popular with the guys at the water cooler, but is not part of a productive debate. In closing, your science is badly misinformed. Consider changing your sources.

  • Posted By: YankeeExpat @ 07/16/2008 8:05:22 PM

    For those (majicmustang) that have asked about Hydrogen cars, I suggest that you look to Germany (The Clean Energy Partnership [CEP]). They are trialing Hydrogen cars (produced by BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM/Opel and VW) for use by everyday people. They have also installed refueling stations(some being produced by Shell) throughout the country side. Public transportation buses are also being tested, 14 buses in Berlin and 9 buses in Hamburg. I hope this helps.

  • Posted By: YankeeExpat @ 07/16/2008 8:00:40 PM

    For those asking about Hydrogen cars, check out Germany (the Clean Energy Partnership [CEP]) as they are currently testing cars (produced by BMW, Ford, GM/Opel, Daimler, and VW) which are used by everyday people. The country has also installed refueling Hydrogen stations throughout the country side (Shell was involved in some of these). They are also using buses run off of Hydrogen for public transport in Berlin (14 buses) and Hamburg (9 buses).

  • Posted By: speckelbelly @ 07/16/2008 7:55:46 PM

    HEATED WORDS! OIL COMPANYS ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY! NOTHING ELSE! REMEMBER THAT! WE ALL PAY! SO EITHER YOU BUY OIL OR GO SOLAR,WIND,BATTERY,OR HORSE!!!

    • Posted By: loriw @ 07/17/2008 3:01:49 AM

      It's called supply and demand. And guess what- I might not get up and go to work except for THE MONEY.
      How about you sink an oil well in your back yard and give the oil away for FREE. I'm absolutely certain you will have a lot of demand for your supply. Hope you like working in that smelly business for free.

  • Posted By: white trash @ 07/16/2008 7:45:08 PM

    I was a young woman when this ecological nightmare occurred. Since then, I've witnessed vast changes on Earth -- evidence of global warming, like more and hotter wildfires in California and more and more heat islands, i.e., dead planet, claiming more and more of the physical, living body of Earth, her ecosystems, especially Earth's un-renewable terrestrial ecosystems like ANWR and California's ecosystems being devoured by hotter, faster and more fires. Every aspect of life on Earth, including man's, depends on the stability of ecoystems' services, the veritable breath of life all life -- seals, birds and humans share oneheart and one heartbeat -- Earth's. Earth and mankind are ecosystem dependent for life.

    However, as horrific as this oil spill was, and if we must, I prefer we drill offshore because marine ecosystems are more vast and more stable. So many of our terrestrial ecosystems have become concreted and bricked heat islands or dead planet, as life-giving as the jumble of rocks on Mars.

    There are no free lunches on Earth. Every thing comes from somewhere with a cause and effect. The eco-illterates must remember, ecologically, every thing connects irrevocably to everything. What man does to the marine ecosystems and the biodiversity dependent upon it, which includes our species, also impacts terrestrial ecosystems and vice versa. So drill at sea -- if we must, but for every wild, native animal and plant that heads towards extinction -- pushes Earth closer to extinction. The artifacts of civilization are essentially dead -- unlike wild places and things. Mankind is as connected to ecological functions and services as seals and birds. Does Mars boast of oceans, seals, birds. Mars is a planet of rocks, as life supporting as freeways, shopping malls, housing tracts, European lawns, ornamental plants and domesticated animals. "IN WILDNESS IS THE SALVATION OF THE EARTH AND THE PRESERVATION OF ALL LIFE...LONG KNOWN AMONG SEALS, SEAS AND BIRDS BUT SELDOM PERCEIVED BY MAN." .

    • Posted By: jimbo3800 @ 07/17/2008 8:44:17 PM

      "I'd like to teach the world to sing
      in perfect harmony
      with apple seeds and honey bees
      and snow white turtle doves"

      Here is a message for Miss Preachy-At-one-With-Mother-Earth:

      Drill Here
      Drill Now
      Pay Less

    • Posted By: loriw @ 07/17/2008 2:57:36 AM

      You have good points. What I don't hear in your post or the majority of posts here is a reduction in usage by everyone of us. If everyone conserved a small percentage immediately we could decrease our dependence by an equal percentage. Before we begin drilling holes everywhere in the planet let's consider conservation over usage when possible. There is so much we could all do to decrease consumpption.

  • Posted By: Calif.raised @ 07/16/2008 7:34:43 PM

    Oil is the future and will be in our future for at least another 200 years. I remember the liberals saying we only had another 20 years of oil left, funny Al Gore is still able to fly around the globe, go to events in his Lincoln Continential, then when he get close, they put him in a Prius for show. The environmentalists keep clinging to their mantra of stopping everything unless it affects them, then the Govt (read us people) have do do something right now. Oil is in the future, nuke is in the future, coal is in the future. Solar only works during the day, wind only works if it isn't by the Kennedy Compound.

  • Posted By: mesafitz @ 07/16/2008 7:33:01 PM

    Santa Barbara needs to clean up the homeless population before the town worries about offshore drilling. I took my family there on vacation and the homeless were everywhere. The beach was filthy with trash, shopping carts and excriment. Why does'nt the Mayor worry about that? On Castillo St. where we stayed some do-gooder on Sunday had 200 drunk loud homeless people in a park. It was 9 a.m.The city has become run down and run over by the homeless.

  • Posted By: nomorearabsubsidy @ 07/16/2008 7:22:15 PM

    It is always the same mantra with the bushies--they are losers and don't know it--they continue to bitterly cling to the past and their old ways. Oil is not the future, oil is dependence on foreigners and large cartels. Innovation in alternative energy is the way of the future.

  • Posted By: MacDaddy64 @ 07/16/2008 7:17:42 PM

    States should be able to decide if they want drilling, coal and LP electrical power plants, Nuke plants, and refineries. We should start respecting the people that feel so compassionate for the environment. Their is just one thing, if States and Local Gov'ts are given this right, then they should not be able to rely on States that elect to allow drilling, coal and LP plants, Nuke plants and refineries to produce gasoline, electrical, and LP energy for them.

  • Posted By: mesafitz @ 07/16/2008 7:15:44 PM

    Santa Barbara should add oil riggs and get rid of the filthy homeless people that have destroyed the city. I won't ever go back, the homeless people have ruined the beach.

  • Posted By: jknight876 @ 07/16/2008 7:06:18 PM

    That spill was 40 years ago. Our technology is vastly improved . There are more that a 1000 oil wells in the gulf of mexico and there were no spills during Katrina or the following hurricane(Whose name escapes meat the moment) We need to Drill here and Drill now to save money and protect our national security and economy. We are the only nation on earth blocked from our natural recources by enviromental wackos. I have seen estimates that range from 200-500 Billion barrels of oil in the USA . Thats as much or more than Saudi Arabia. If we find a way to get to our oil shale we will be by far the largest energy producer in the world. I suggest we require OIl companies to hire enviromental experts to assist in the safe and clean extrtaction and use fees for the leases to fund electric car technology. Joe Knight

    • Posted By: raddave @ 07/16/2008 8:15:07 PM

      According to the U.S. coast guard, there were 44 oil spills following Hurrican Katrina. The U.S. has approx 21 billion known barrels of oil reserves. There is probably more as this is only what is known, but nowhere near 200-500 billion barrels.

  • Posted By: riverplace @ 07/16/2008 7:03:42 PM

    the only thing more pitiful than seeing a sea lion in oil is fulling up your car with gas so you go to work and make a living.Maybe we could feed our kids sea lion.Or maybe we could buy a little sailboat instead and not feed our kids.Quit crying the sky is falling!

  • Posted By: gaston 2005 502 @ 07/16/2008 7:02:59 PM

    drilling offshore of Santa Barbara is and has been ongoing in state waters,less than 12 miles out. not in federal waters more than 12 miles out. i have been on and worked on 2 of the 4 rigs that i know of, someday tree huggers will realize that we need to reduce opec dependence, and that drilling is and has been ongoing. also all new ships being built and have been being built for years of double hull design.

  • Posted By: joe2008 @ 07/16/2008 6:33:04 PM

    If we just went ahead and nuked all the arab oilfields, we would be forced, kicking and screaming, into the 'green' age. Without oil, there would be no oil companies. No oil speculators. We'd beforced to resort to alternative energy. What's a little radiation compared to the pollution we spew out everyday.

  • Posted By: majicmustang @ 07/16/2008 6:31:48 PM

    As usual, Environmentalists and democrats have no solution to a problem, just a doomsday attitude about every solution brought to the table. They have no valid argument other than something that occurred 40 years ago. Don't you realize the technology that is being used today? There are so many safeguards, not to mentin the federal regulatons on plants like this. In the meantime, continue to drive your gas cars, use electricity, styrofoam cups, paper, and other resources while you complain about everything. Alternative energy is decades away from being practical and affordable.

    • Posted By: wsfarnie @ 07/17/2008 1:21:56 PM

      Actually, the environmentalists in Santa Barbara DO have a great plan. The Community Environmental Council is a 38 year old non-profit focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable transportation as they relate to peak oil and climate change issues. Our goal is to end the region???s dependency on fossil fuels in one generation! Read our Blueprint at wwwfossilfreeby33.org. Oh, and by the way, this plan will save every man, woman and child in Santa Barbara county $3000 per year in energy costs when fully implemented.

    • Posted By: joe2008 @ 07/16/2008 6:37:57 PM

      Actually, in addition to mispelling two words, you are completely wrong about alternative energy being practical or afforable.

      • Posted By: majicmustang @ 07/16/2008 6:44:26 PM

        You misspelled affordable, and you made my point, you said that I was wrong about alternative energy, but you did not back up your argument with any facts

      • Posted By: majicmustang @ 07/16/2008 6:40:28 PM

        can you tell me right now where I can buy a hydrogen car, and where I can refuel it?

        • Posted By: joe2008 @ 07/16/2008 6:45:54 PM

          I have no idea where you can buy a hydrogen car. I much prefer my SUV. However, if your idea of alternative energy is limited to hydrogen cars, you are truly limited in your outlook. I think you will find, when hydrogen cars become more of a reality that, they aren't going to be answer

  • Posted By: Kalifornia @ 07/16/2008 6:18:14 PM

    Like we need more proof of the evironMENTALists being harbingers of doom, stuck in a vacuum for the past 40 years!!! I'm from Kalifornia, and unlike smarka and the interviewee of the article, I'm not obtuse to the realities of our energy dependence!

    "We need a presidential candidate to make a commitment to things like batteries, for example, so we can plug in our hybrids. We love saving energy here."

    WHERE does the electricity for those batteries come from, you IDIOT!?!? How does that SAVE energy? Let's return to physics and remember that energy cannot be created or destroyed, just CONVERTED. That Prius may not burn gas, but I'm willing to bet that gas (or coal) was burned to create that electricity.

    People that think this is a Bush/Cheney/Republican mess are so distorted by their political bias that they're unwilling to see the same problem from their own ranks (ie - the methanol "solution" so lauded by the liberals that has done nothing but drive up food costs and spend more tax dollars funding and subsidizing an energy glutton).

    Santa Barabara is full of environmentalists. Ones that still use styrofoam, plastic bags, rubber, cotton, among hundreds/thousands of other things that damage the environment somewhere down the line. (oops! cotton? YEAH. COTTON! Subsidized to grow in the DESERT, this water HOG takes water from the Delta [what about the LOVE for the smelt or Salmon??] to send to the imperial Valley where cotton grows, turning the place into a wasteland). Need I go on with more examples?

    EnvironMENTALlists like these people are just monumentally ignorant consumers of the earth's resources that assuage their guilt by attacking other people's resource consumption..... "By god, NOT IN MY BACKYARD!" Hypocrites!

    • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 6:29:36 PM

      More personal attacks...what a surprise.

      Who's the bigger idiot, the one who thinks that we can do better than we're doing now, or the one who can't see that alternative energy sources can also power the wall socket?

      I agree that corn-based ethanol isn't a good answer, and I think nuclear power is a good one, as long as we dispose of the waste appropriately.

      By the way, I care about my resource consumption. I use my bike, I use reusable cloth grocery bags, I keep my speed down and I recycle. I do what I can. Santa Barbara is full of people like me. I know, I live there. ...and no, I'm not rich. I rent my three bedroom home and struggle like most of the people here. There are a lot of rich people in the hills around here, but most of us aren't.

  • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 6:18:14 PM

    If it weren't so tragic it would be funny how often the people on the "more oil" side of this discussion resort to personal attacks. Just like every other important issue these days. Thanks, Karl Rove.

  • Posted By: Calif.raised @ 07/16/2008 6:16:36 PM

    The real Scam is the hipocritical environmental movement, and the naysayers. Drill now drill 20 years from now keep drilling. Build 1,000 nuke plants. Where is greenpeace marching against the French government and their disposal problem.

  • Posted By: Mr. G @ 07/16/2008 6:15:12 PM

    kperes - Prius's don't plug into the wall. They recharge their batteries using braking power.
    Supply and Demand have nothing to do with current gas prices. It's what the market will bear. Also sounds like the death cry of an industry circling the drain. There are non-cobustion engines that operate on frozen nitrogen and air and combustion engines that operate on hydrogen, which is very clean. The develpment
    of these technologies has been stepped on by big oil. The issue isn't just getting the oil, it's what it leaves behind. We don't need more oil rigs. We need to better develop the alternatives that already exist.

  • Posted By: joe2008 @ 07/16/2008 6:10:57 PM

    TECHNOLOGY? You think TECHNOLOGY is going to come to the rescue. TECHNOLOGY created the nuclear weapon. TECHNOLOGY created the oil tanker in the first place. Now when we have an oil spill, it will probably involve a SUPERTANKER

    • Posted By: Mr. G @ 07/16/2008 6:35:40 PM

      A hammer (an example of the first technology ever) can be used to drive nails or crack skulls. The hammer is not bad. How someone uses it can be bad. Technology isn't bad. How someone uses it can be bad. It wasn't too long ago when people died from infection from a small cut. Yes, technology can come to the rescue just as fast as it can destroy us. That's why mental health is just as important as the tool.

      • Posted By: joe2008 @ 07/16/2008 6:50:52 PM

        Most of our environmental problems are caused by the fact that humans live too long. Sometimes good people create oil spills. Good people are responsible for nuclear meltdowns. Only good people fight wars. We know this because God is on their side. Good people make mistakes. Good people do bad things. The problem is that, we have too many good people with too much advanced technology which makes their mistakes more deadly.

  • Posted By: joe2008 @ 07/16/2008 6:08:15 PM

    The issue of off-shore drilling is a scam. All/most of the oil will be for export. It will do NOTHING to alleviate problems in the U.S.

    If the government cared about its' citizens, it would designate ALL oil drilled in the U.S. or its' territories for domestic use.

  • Posted By: Kalifornia @ 07/16/2008 6:06:58 PM

    adf

  • Posted By: zuiderweg1 @ 07/16/2008 6:05:18 PM

    We have to do something,we can no longer set on our hands & not tap our resources we have. California belongs to all Californians not just those living in Santa Barbara, technology has come a long way in forty years. Lets get on with it!!

  • Posted By: Curata et Industria @ 07/16/2008 6:02:25 PM

    Dear Marty Blum, an oil covered sea lion has no meaning for me. I have to work for a living. Carter shut down wells with the windfall tax, Nancy P. won't remove the tax- the wells still remeined capped in Oklahoma et all.

    So I am pushing to drill off the coast- since you liberals wont ease the tax burden of the mid west.

    • Posted By: loriw @ 07/17/2008 2:42:02 AM

      Business and Industry? It's been many years since I took Latin .

    • Posted By: Mr. G @ 07/16/2008 6:27:45 PM

      Curata - Oil covered sea lions should have meaning for you. They are part of the food chain that you and I are a part of. Do you really believe the oil only affected a few sea lions? It affected EVERYTHING in the ocean. That includes the food you eat, even if it's not seafood. Many food compounds come from plankton and algae. You need to think bigger. If oil companies saw themselves as energy providers instead of oil providers, you (we) wouldn't be paying oil taxes because we would already have alternatives.

      • Posted By: loriw @ 07/17/2008 2:37:24 AM

        Some people can't see beyond their own windshield. I expect Curata is one of those.

  • Posted By: FIREMAN @ 07/16/2008 5:59:15 PM

    I am a native of the region and 65 years old. My Dad is 86 and he will say the samething. There has always been an oil slick off the coast of Santa Barbara. I can never remember going to the beaches in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and not getting oil and tar on me. The simple fact is once the drilling started the oil seepage was less than before the drilling started. To bad people do not look at the history of the area before they go into histerics

  • Posted By: horacesheroes @ 07/16/2008 5:55:54 PM

    So the federal government gets to control the size of the land leased and who gets the leases? Does Haliburton drill wells? Is anybody else not real trusting of the Bush administration based on it's record over the last 8 years.........

    • Posted By: Calif.raised @ 07/16/2008 7:38:52 PM

      FYI, Haliburton doesn't drill new wells, they repair and replace existing ones.Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: CARNUT @ 07/16/2008 5:55:39 PM

    How about we dump all of the batteries from all of the Hybrids in Santa Barbara. Just give your address and everyone will ship them to you...

  • Posted By: foolkiller @ 07/16/2008 5:48:03 PM

    People in California feared the 20th century. Now they fear the 21st century. They have all been rattle brained since they found out that the TV show X-FILES was NOT a documentary.

    • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 5:51:49 PM

      Wow, now there's an intellectual commentary.

      California has always lead the way to social and economic change. That's why we're the 7th ranking economic power in the world.

      • Posted By: Curata et Industria @ 07/16/2008 6:04:40 PM

        I left California because of the "social change" . The liberals ruined the safety of the family in so many ways it is not possible to discuss it here.

        Economic change? You over inflated houses (which I took advantage of) and then need the Government to bail out your poor investment - typical democrat.......

        • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 6:12:18 PM

          I'm an independent.

          Why'd you take advantage of the inflated houses? To make some quick cash at other people's expense? Typical Republican.

          My family's safe, I don't know what the heck you're talking about.

  • Posted By: Calif.raised @ 07/16/2008 5:41:45 PM

    not every acre of a lease is used to drill out. the petroluem is in pockets all around those thousands of acres. The Feds lease out the acreage, they direct the size.

  • Posted By: don52 @ 07/16/2008 5:40:51 PM

    idiots !!

  • Posted By: don52 @ 07/16/2008 5:40:14 PM

    idiots !!!

  • Posted By: Calif.raised @ 07/16/2008 5:38:15 PM

    This Mayor is typical of the Environmental Hipocrites who don't want to admit, tha they are part of the problem in a big way. Oil can be extracted from the ocean safely. If she and her commrades don't want drilling then they should have set the example 40 years ago or even today, and outlaw any fossil fueled vehicle, or oil based system to heat or light their great city. Set the example hipocrites. Show us how it can be done. After the "disaster" 40 years ago the beach on community was not destroyed. The mayor didn't move out of town. The beach is still there. Oil washes up on the beach every day, From Natural Seepage! Lets pump it out so it doesn't get wasted.

  • Posted By: loriw @ 07/16/2008 5:36:40 PM

    Everyone wants to scream "not in my backyard" (read shorelines) as they drive their Hummers, Suburbans, and full sized pick ups to the malls.

    Nature has no voice, no choice.

  • Posted By: wildlifeusa @ 07/16/2008 5:25:57 PM

    You should look at Nigeria.. oil companies have ruined that country with all their drilling at sea and on land.. their rivers, coasts and land are all full of oil spills. It is an environmental disaster not talked about in the american medias. It looks like it is ok to pollute and destroy poor countries's environment but not ok in the usa. People should be outraged by this!

    • Posted By: don52 @ 07/16/2008 5:46:32 PM

      Nigeria is a 3rd world country .The Government over there is busy in stealing and exploiting the country and the people there.
      This is NOT a good example .
      Check the rest of the world .

      • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 5:48:47 PM

        Our government is also busy stealing and exploiting our country. Check the Bush administration record.

  • Posted By: rascilon @ 07/16/2008 5:25:39 PM

    I think the question of offshore drilling should be left up to the individual states whose coastlines would be environmentally impacted. I no more support drilling off the California coast to supply gasoline in Iowa than I would support clear-cutting forests in Montana to build strip malls in Massachusetts. On a related note, suggesting all Californian's live opulent, privileged lifestyles is simply ignorant.

    • Posted By: loriw @ 07/16/2008 5:43:58 PM

      So which of our states that have shoreline should be responsible for supporting our oil habit? Which ones don't rely on the beauty of their coastline to support their tourism industry or housing industry? Does Florida owe us more than California or vice versa....is Texas coastline more expendable? Who gets to decide the governor, the state legislature or the voters?. If one state produces oil but another refuses to sacrifice their shoreline is the first stae obligated to share its resources...why? They sacrificed? What about sates that don't have as great a supply of oil as the next. Sounds easy but it''s not.

  • Posted By: kperes @ 07/16/2008 5:25:17 PM

    Where to start. I too am a Democrat and an environmentalist. That being said, I live in Texas and know VERY WELL what it's like to live near oil and or gas wells. The mayor of Santa Barbara wants energy and HAS TO HAVE energy to live, but just doesn't want it in her backyard. Well I'm here to tell you, we need ALL the energy we can get in an environmentally appropriate way. If everyone took the exact same position she takes, then there would be NO energy production. What makes Santa Barbara any better than the Texas or Louisiana Gulf Coast or even West Texas? They're all beautiful, she just thinks hers should be protected at the expense of others landscapes she views as less worthy.

    She's also as you point out, got numerous offshore platforms operating in the Santa Barbara region. In the last 40 years, they've not spilled any significant amount. I'd say that's a pretty environmentally responsible operation. The fact is, we need every domestically produced hydrocarbon possible even if it takes us 20 years of development to "pop" the well. Then we need a President who is willing to spend billions on a national effort (think Manhattan Project) to solve and provide another transportation fuel that isn't based upon crude oil. There's an idea.

    Lastly, she's plugging in her Prius to an electrical outlet. Well the electricity produced comes most likely from a coal fired plant. She doesn't seem to have a problem with strip mining the Powder River Basin where much of the coal for the Western U.S. comes from because it's not in her backyard. She also doesn't mind plugging in and recharging her Prius knowing that coal fired electricity is by FAR the most polluting form of energy we have. If she argues for nuclear because it has little to no air pollution, then she ought to be in Sacramento lobbying on behalf of the nuclear power industry to put an new nuclear generating station in the Santa Barbara region. But she won't, not even to say it from the Mayor's office in Santa Barbara.

    Let's get real here, the only solution to the energy challenge is to produce as much oil/gas domestically and responsibly as we can WHILE finding better alternatives than coal fired and nuclear fired Prius'. She's being a hypocrite at best. And I can say this as I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (6 million people) and I and my neighbors in a very beautiful neighborhood have given permission to drill a gas well close by. It'll do our part to provide energy to our country AND we'll actually make a little money too. Texas and Alaska ought to cut off oil to California and let her buy it from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Mexico and Russia (all our best buddies) and have her pay $10 a gallon and maybe she'll get a more balanced view.

    • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 5:47:12 PM

      If everyone in the country had taken Mayor Blum's position in 1969 we'd all be driving solar-powered cars right now.

      It's too bad there are so many visionless, "can't do" people around who've swallowed the oil industry propaganda hook, line and sinker, while they've continually raped us and our planet.

      • Posted By: BlindWine.com @ 07/16/2008 11:41:07 PM

        The truth is well, Santa Barbara is better to live than Texas. I have lived in both.

      • Posted By: raddave @ 07/16/2008 8:24:43 PM

        The prius is not an electric car, it is a hybrid car.

  • Posted By: rascilon @ 07/16/2008 5:24:41 PM

    I think the question of offshore drilling should be left up to the individual states whose coastlines would be environmentally impacted. I no more support drilling off the California coast to supply gasoline in Iowa than I would support clear-cutting forests in Montana to build strip malls in Massachusetts. On a related note, suggesting all Californian's live opulent, privileged lifestyles is simply ignorant.

  • Posted By: deancc @ 07/16/2008 5:18:41 PM

    I would drill right away! People living in Santa Barbara should move so they don't impede the drilling!

  • Posted By: jackdz @ 07/16/2008 5:06:52 PM

    The oil spill at Santa Barbara 40 years ago was a tragedy for marine life, for the residents, and for the oil company as well. However, to ban all offshore drilling in response is akin to banning all cars because someone died in an accident.

    Others worry about a decline in tourism if offshore drilling is resumed. Guess what? Tourism is delining for want of economical energy.

    • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 5:34:42 PM

      There's no ban on offshore oil drilling. There are 6 rigs in the Santa Barbara channel right now. There's just a limit on new ones.

      There are 680 million acres of existing offshore oil leases that aren't being drilled on now. Why not force the oil companies to drill there? Because that would bring prices down and Exxon and their ilk couldn't make so much money. They use every excuse they can to shut down refineries and drag their feet on building new ones. They blame environmentalists and regulators, but there are plenty of places to build them.

      A more apt analogy might be to compare the moratorium on new offshore drilling to the government banning tailgating at 100 MPH as a result of an occasional 60 car pile-up.

  • Posted By: tennvol40 @ 07/16/2008 5:02:19 PM

    States like California should be allowed to oppose offshore drilling. However, they should have to continue to import their oil from overseas. That will increase supply for the rest of us and lower our prices a little further.

  • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 5:01:25 PM

    Desertdonkey, I live in Santa Barbara and I'm not rich. I rent a 3 bedroom house for my family and struggle with my bills every month, like most of us here. I wish I had a 10 million dollar home.

    Alternative energy is being developed more every day by smart, driven people. It's too bad that some folks like you have such a "can't do" attitude. You're a stain on the American spirit.

    I'm just glad more Americans are waking up to the fact that rich oil men like Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfield have been raping us and our planet for over a century, tricking gullible folks like you into believing they're our only hope, when all along we've had the potential to get clean energy from the Sun, Wind, Waves, Earth, and other sources.

  • Posted By: tennvol40 @ 07/16/2008 4:58:26 PM

    If the state of California doesn't want off shore drilling that's fine. States that oppose drilling should have to continue to import from overseas. That would increase the supply for the rest of us.

    • Posted By: raddave @ 07/16/2008 8:21:26 PM

      Oil is sold on an open market, it is not owned by the U.S. and allocated to states.

  • Posted By: jdorsey @ 07/16/2008 4:50:35 PM

    Santa Barbara?

    What about people lilke me who live in the midwest with no access to a decent public transportation system? And not everyone can afford to pay 30 grand for a hybrid vehicle. This country depends on their vehicles not just for pleasure but for their livelyhood. Suburbs would not exist today if gas prices were always this high. We would not have the highway system we have today if gas prices were always this high. The automobile is as American as apple pie. I say drill where ever it takes. Rich people in California are not living in the real world.

    • Posted By: raddave @ 07/16/2008 8:20:36 PM

      hybrid vehicles start at about 20 grand, not 30

      • Posted By: summer4077 @ 07/17/2008 10:56:40 AM

        Exactly. Most SUVs are at least that amount, if not more. If you can afford a (newer) SUV, you can afford a Prius. Regardless, you don't have to buy a Prius to be more fuel efficient. Smaller SUVs, even, or sedans and small cars are all way more fuel efficient than the Suburbans, Excursions, Expeditions, dual-wheeled trucks, etc. I own a Saturn, and I get 35-40 mpg with nothing special done to it.

    • Posted By: smarka @ 07/16/2008 5:16:27 PM