HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 63-19 Opposing Onshore and Offshore Oil and Gas LeasesRESOLUTION NO. 63-19
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA,
OPPOSING NEW OR EXPANSION OF EXISTING ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE OIL AND
GAS LEASES OFF THE COAST AND ON THE LAND OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY AND
SUPPORTING MEASURES
TO PROHIBIT DISCHARGE OF POLLUTANTS INTO THE OCEAN
THE CITY COUNCIL
City of Morro Bay, California
WHEREAS, the City of Morro Bay was designated a state estuary in 1994 and an
"estuary of National Significance in 1995 as a result of community -based efforts to protect this
precious resource; and
WHEREAS, the City of Morro Bay values our State's ocean waters, coasts and land,
which provide habitat to a vast array of wildlife that depend on a healthy and clean environment,
and
WHEREAS, .the City of Morro Bay's residents and visitors enjoy our ocean, beaches,
mountains and abundance of diverse resources for recreation, exploration, and relaxation; and
WHEREAS, our City's economy is reliant on a healthy ocean for our residents, visitors,
and fishing professionals; and
WHEREAS, the City of Morro Bay has been a port for our Commercial Fishing fleet,
Sport Fishing, Recreational Boating, United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, California
Fish and Wildlife, and our own Harbor Patrol Safety Officers; and
WHEREAS, the City of Morro Bay has a long history of caring for our coastal waters,
bay, and local environment by adopting City policies and practicing environmental stewardship;
and
WHEREAS, in 1986, the City of Morro Bay passed Measure "C," presented to the voters
as the following ballot question, "Shall an ordinance be enacted to (1) prohibit offshore oil
development support facilities within Morro Bay, and (2) require any zoning change to
accommodate onshore support facilities for offshore oil development to be submitted to a vote
of the people of the City of Morro Bay," and which was codified as Ordinance 297; and
WHEREAS, said Ordinance 297 prohibiting. offshore oil support facilities within the City
of Morro Bay has been in place since Measure "C" passed by the vote of the people in 1986;
and
WHEREAS, the City of Morro Bay adopted Resolution No. 49-12 opposing The Central
Coastal California Seismic Imaging Project by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in September of
2012; and
WHEREAS, there is a growing body of evidence confirming that intense sound produced
by human generated noise such as acoustic testing used in oil and gas exploration negatively
impacts marine mammals, fish, squid, and crab, and well as land mammals; and
WHEREAS, the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen's Organization (MBCFO) stands
opposed to any new offshore oil development off our California Coast; and
WHEREAS, in 1969, a well failure off the coast of Santa Barbara fouled coastal waters
with an estimated 100,000 barrels of crude oil and caused catastrophic environmental damage,
helping launch the modern environmental movement; and
WHEREAS, in 1970, with bipartisan support, President Nixon signed the National
Environmental Policy Act on January 2nd, delivered a call to make "the 1970's a historic period
when, by conscious choice (we) transform our land into what we want it to become" in his State
of the Union Address, and ended the year with the creation of the Environmental Protection
Agency an independent agency to regulate the environment; and
WHEREAS, oil drilling presents a clear and ever-present danger to the health and safety
of residents, businesses and economies, with the threat of an oil spill potentially wreaking havoc
on ecosystems, human health, water, and economic activities; and
WHEREAS, the 2010 BP Deep Water Horizon disaster spilled an estimated 4.9 million
barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico and shores of the Gulf Coast of the United States;
and
WHEREAS, in 2015, a pipeline servicing offshore oil platforms burst and fouled the
coast north of Santa Barbara with an estimated 3,400 barrels of crude oil, damaging wildlife and
coastal recreation; and
WHEREAS, there have been no new offshore oil and gas leases in California since the
1969 disaster; and
WHEREAS, fracking presents unacceptable risks to our health and safety. A 2015 report
from the California Council on Science and Technology concluded that fracking in California
happens at unusually shallow depths, dangerously close to underground drinking water
supplies, with unusually high concentrations of toxic chemicals that are harmful to human health
and the environment.
WHEREAS, new drilling and fracking would do even further damage to air quality in
Central California, particularly in the San Joaquin air basin, where communities of color and low-
income communities are already harmed daily by toxic air pollution.
WHEREAS, to prevent the worst effects of climate change, we cannot afford to sell off
any more public lands to oil companies. Like a household budget, the planet has a carbon
budget and it is entirely spent. Now more than ever, we must keep fossil fuels in the ground.
WHEREAS, in December 2016, President Obama signed an executive order that
banned any new oil and gas drilling off the coast of California under Section 12(a) of the Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act; and
WHEREAS, On April 28, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order called
Implementing an America -First Offshore Energy Strategy, which establishes a policy to
encourage energy exploration and production on the outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and restarts
the 2017-2022 five year lease program potentially opening up Arctic waters and millions of
coastal acres off U.S. shores to oil and gas drilling, fracking, and other well stimulation, putting
California's coastal resources at risk of more oil spills, increased greenhouse gas emissions,
dependence on fossil fuels, and a delay in the movement toward greater reliance on renewable
energy; and
WHEREAS, the Governor of California, the State Senate, the State Lands Commission
and cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, have called for no new Federal offshore
leases in the Pacific Ocean.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of the City of Morro Bay,
California, hereby supports in State and Federal waters in the Pacific Ocean along the United
States and federal and state lands in San Luis Obispo County: 1) a ban on new drilling, fracking,
and related techniques, 2) no new or expansion of existing oil and gas leases and a phase -out
of all oil and gas extraction, and 3) a framework for responsible renewable energy development.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Council rescinds Resolution No. 07-18 for the
sole purpose of being replaced with this more comprehensive Resolution 63-19.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Morro Bay at a regular
meeting thereof held on this 9, day of July 2019 on the following vote:
AYES: Headding, Addis, Davis, Heller,
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ATTEST:
Mrwbtit,d o�
D NA SWANSON, City Clerk
McPherson