To: Board of Supervisors
From: Board of Supervisors
Meeting Date: January 10, 2017
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Department Contact: |
Dan Gjerde |
Phone: |
463-4441 |
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Department Contact: |
Dan Hamburg |
Phone: |
463-4441 |
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Item Type: Consent Agenda |
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Time Allocated for Item: N/A |
Agenda Title:
title
Approval of Letter to President Obama in Opposition of Off-Shore Oil Drilling Off the California Coastline and Urging a Permanent Ban, and Stressing the Importance of the Mendocino Coast (Sponsors: Supervisors Gjerde and Hamburg)
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Recommended Action/Motion:
recommendation
Approve letter to President Obama in opposition of off-shore oil drilling off the California coastline and urging a permanent ban, and stressing the importance of the Mendocino Coast; and authorize Chair to sign same.
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Previous Board/Board Committee Actions:
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has historically opposed off-shore oil drilling, most recently, on May 11, 2011, the Board authorized the transmission of a letter to the Governor in opposition of off-shore oil drilling off the California coastline, and stressing the importance of the Mendocino Coast. Other related actions by the Board were taken on February 6, 2001 (Resolution 01-030); April 4, 2006 (Resolution No. 06-044); July 24, 2007; April 7, 2009.
Summary of Request:
In mid-December 2016, Governor Brown again requested the President for a permanent ban on new drilling off the California coastline. The Governor implored the President to leave a landmark environmental legacy and asked for a permanent ban on all new offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters off California’s coast before he leaves office next month.
Given this was the first time that the Governor has asked the President for such a sweeping ban, it would be appropriate for the Board of Supervisors to renew the County’s request for such ban and urge that it also be permanent. In recent weeks, environmental groups and Democratic members of Congress, including California’s two U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, also have urged the president to protect the state’s coast by taking advantage of a 63-year-old federal law that has never been used so broadly. Last month, the President released a plan for offshore oil drilling in federal waters that bans until 2022 any new drilling off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. What Brown and other oil drilling opponents want now is a permanent ban on new drilling in all federal waters - those beyond three miles from the California coast.
Specifically, the Mendocino Coast is not suitable for off-shore oil and gas drilling due to the threat to our scenic beauty, the threat to our tourist and fishing industries and the devastating impact that an off shore oil spill would cause. Mendocino County would be joining other Coastal jurisdictions and the Governor in reaffirming its opposition to off shore oil exploration off the California Coast.
Alternative Action/Motion:
Do not approve letter and/or provide additional direction.
Supplemental Information Available Online at: N/A
Fiscal Impact:
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Source of Funding: N/A |
Budgeted in Current F/Y: N/A |
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Current F/Y Cost: N/A |
Annual Recurring Cost: N/A |
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Supervisorial District: District 4 District 5 |
Vote Requirement: Majority |
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Agreement/Resolution/Ordinance Approved by County Counsel: N/A
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CEO Liaison: Janelle Rau, Deputy CEO |
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CEO Review: Yes |
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Comments: