Offshore drilling near Santa Barbara brings energy debate home

Santa Barbara has been the epicenter of the environmentalist movement for many years. Many long-time residents of this community may remember a dramatic and devastating event in Santa Barbara in 1969, the oil spill off of Santa Barbara coast that rocked our cities foundation and spurred an environmental movement unlike any other. Memories of this tragic spill haunt the residents of Isla Vista, Santa Barbara, and other coastal cities in Santa Barbara County. It surprises many to know that Santa Barbara County has allowed offshore drilling, but many people aren’t aware of the vigorous debate and opposition that the drilling has faced within Santa Barbara County in the past. Many inland cities in the county approve of offshore drilling as a way to decrease long-term fuel prices and create jobs, but the representatives of coastal cities argue that environmental concerns inhibit them from supporting such invasive new drilling sites.

One of the very first offshore drilling locations was in Summerland Field off of the coast of California in 1896, and such platforms increased in popularity for years until George Herbert Walker Bush placed an executive order ban on these types of domestic coastal drilling stations in 1990. This ban on new offshore drilling has led many Americans to the belief that America imports too much oil from other nations, and that our economic and national security is dependent on the expansion of American oil programs. This issue has often been neglected in the political landscape and last year, during the Presidential election, offshore drilling saw some real exposure on the national scene. In the heated political general election, John McCain and the Republican base shouted their slogan, “drill baby drill”, touting their support for new oil drilling on our nation’s coasts as Barack Obama and the Democrats warn that these new drilling measures are dangerous and will not significantly impact oil prices. On November 4, 2008, America elected Barack Obama as our choice for President of the United States; this means that we now know that our government plans to take a different perspective on energy: America will invest in new forms of renewable energy due to the potential environmental hazards of drilling offshore, including but not limited to, oil spills, leaks, and water contamination.

Problems with coastal drilling, however, are not solely environmental in nature. Extraction of oil from these manned offshore facilities is more difficult, more expensive, and more time consuming than land-based oil extraction. The platforms also tend to disturb naturally majestic ocean landscapes and drive away tourists; the very tourists that many coastal cities depend on for revenue. Some may argue that with gas prices on the rise throughout America, it is necessary to bring new sources of oil into the American market; the problem with this seems to be that even with advances in modern technology, most economists estimate that we won’t begin to see oil from a new offshore site for around five to ten years.

People in favor of new drilling cite the modern developments of drilling technologies, the possibility of decreasing oil prices with increased supply, and the mental effect that offshore drilling will have on short term oil markets. Other possible positive effects of such programs include job creation and a much needed reduction in the dependence on foreign and outsourced oil.

No matter what happens with the environmental and energy policy in America, Santa Barbara county has a strong activism culture with an agenda that is much greener than most. At the forefront of this debate, the political leaders of the city will continue to stand vigilant against anything that could harm our environment because Santa Barbara is a city with an incredible and unique environmental past, present, and future.