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What about onshore drilling? There used to be oil wells right in the heart of the city, yes?
Yes, but no one's interested in building any new oil wells in the city that I know about. We do have oil underneath us. We're on an oil field. It's not very high-quality oil, but we used to have oil wells in the city itself until the mid-'60s. We banned oil wells in the city. But about 10 miles to the south in the town of Carpinteria, there's a proposal to put an oil well right on city-hall property. With federal and state budgets in such bad shape and gas prices so high, I can see why a municipal government would want to make money easily without new taxes. I'm very grateful that it's in our charter to not do any oil drilling here.

Do you think John McCain's position on offshore oil drilling will cost him votes in this state in November?
Yes, especially here in Santa Barbara County. Telling us he advocates the idea of leaving drilling to the states is odd, since these platforms are in federal waters. He needs to be more articulate with his energy plan.

How about Barack Obama, what do you think of his energy plan?
He still needs to learn more, too, but at least he seems more open to alternative fuels like what we're doing here. In Santa Barbara we are pushing for clean, alternative fuels, clean energy alternatives. 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.

How much power do you have as mayor to prevent any more drilling off your city's coastline?
Well, we work with all federal and state agencies, and the governor is strong here. He's made strong statements about offshore oil drilling, and if I can help him in any way, I do. We also work with the [Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary] in the channel between our city and the islands, almost the entire channel now is a marine sanctuary. This is a very special place.

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Member Comments

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.