BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AJR 3
Author: Nava (D), et al
Amended: 5/26/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE : 5-3, 6/22/10
AYES: Pavley, Lowenthal, Padilla, Simitian, Wolk
NOES: Cogdill, Hollingsworth, Huff
NO VOTE RECORDED: Kehoe
SENATE ENV. QUALITY COMMITTEE : 5-2, 6/28/10
AYES: Simitian, Corbett, Hancock, Lowenthal, Pavley
NOES: Runner, Strickland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 43-25, 4/20/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Offshore oil drilling
SOURCE : Environment California
DIGEST : This resolution memorializes the Legislatures
support of legislation currently pending in the United
States Congress that will protect the Pacific Coast from
new offshore oil drilling, and 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 due to those
policies.
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ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1. Prior to 2009, a bipartisan consensus in the Congress of
the United States protected the California coastline
from expanded offshore drilling for over 27 years.
2. Following the infamous January 29, 1969 oil spill that
resulted in the spillage of 3.2 million gallons of crude
oil and fouled Santa Barbara County's ocean beaches,
Californians became even more wary about offshore oil
drilling, spurring the passage of additional oil and gas
leasing prohibitions in 1969, 1970, and 1971.
3. In 1994, the California Coastal Sanctuary Act of 1994
(Chapter 3.4 (commencing with Section 6240) of Part 1 of
Division 6 of the Public Resources Code) became law,
creating a comprehensive statewide coastal sanctuary
that prohibits, in perpetuity, future oil and gas
leasing in state waters, from Mexico to the Oregon
border, and that adds leases to the sanctuary as they
are quitclaimed to the state.
This resolution memorializes the Legislature's support of
legislation currently pending in the United States Congress
that will protect the Pacific Coast from new offshore oil
drilling, and 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 due to those policies.
Background
Deepwater Horizon . On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater
Horizon drilling rig exploded, and subsequently sank due to
a well-head blowout at a depth of approximately 5,000 feet
in the Gulf of Mexico with the loss of 11 crewmembers.
Although estimates of the exact amount of oil released
already to the environment vary, the ongoing spill is
considered to be the largest in American history, easily
exceeding the 250,000 barrels spilled by the Exxon Valdez
in 1989, and among the largest ever worldwide. The oil
slick currently covers approximately 2,500 square miles of
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ocean surface and substantial sub-surface plumes of oil
have been identified. The impacts of the oil spill on the
Gulf ecosystem are severe, with significant and on-going
damage to and loss of habitat and wildlife. Economic
disruption to the coastal states and their tourism and
fishing industries is expected to be on the order of
billions of dollars.
Pending federal legislation . The West Coast Ocean
Protection Act of 2010 (H.R. 5213) has been introduced in
the United States House of Representatives by Congressman
Garamendi. The bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the United States
Department of the Interior from issuing a lease for the
exploration, development, or production of oil or natural
gas in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the
coast of California, Oregon, or Washington.
Federal back-and-forth . The Offshore Leasing Moratorium
existed in federal law for 27 years, but was repealed in
2008, under the President G.W. Bush Administration, during
a period of high oil prices and leasing was expected to
restart in July 2010. Congress subsequently blocked this
plan in 2009. President Obama announced his
Administration's commitment to continue the ban on offshore
oil drilling along the entire Pacific Coast in early April
2010. At the same time, President Obama announced that
other selected territorial waters of the United States
would be opened to offshore oil development to meet the
twin policy goals of developing new economic growth and
improving energy security by reducing the dependence on
imported oil.
Prior legislation . Similar resolutions have been
introduced in previous sessions: AJR 51 (Nava), Chapter
146, Statutes of 2008, and AJR 55 (Nava) Chapter 137,
Statutes of 2006.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/28/10)
Environment California (source)
Oceana
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ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "In 1982
Congress instituted an offshore drilling moratorium for
California and beyond. Congress had voted to reauthorize
this moratorium as part of the Interior Appropriations Bill
every year since then. However during the summer of 2008,
oil companies used the high cost of oil to pressure
Congress into repealing the 27-year old moratorium. The
ongoing spill in the Gulf of Mexico had demonstrated that,
notwithstanding industry claims to the contrary, there are
substantial risks inherent in offshore oil drilling that
cannot be fully mitigated. Allowing new offshore oil
development and exploration would pose a significant risk
to our state's coastal environments and will not lower gas
prices for consumers. It is extremely important that the
State of California express our strong support for efforts
to protect the California Coast from expanded offshore
drilling."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Ammiano, Beall, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Caballero, Carter, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De
Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani,
Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huffman, Jones, Krekorian,
Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning, Nava, V.
Manuel Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Skinner,
Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico,
Yamada, Bass
NOES: Adams, Anderson, Arambula, Bill Berryhill, Tom
Berryhill, Conway, Cook, DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson,
Fuller, Gaines, Gilmore, Hagman, Huber, Jeffries, Knight,
Logue, Miller, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Silva, Tran,
Villines
NO VOTE RECORDED: Buchanan, Charles Calderon, Chesbro,
Fletcher, Galgiani, Garrick, Hall, Harkey, John A. Perez,
Saldana, Smyth, Solorio
CTW:mw 6/30/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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