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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 07-18 Offshore OppositionRESOLUTION NO. 07A 8 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA, OPPOSING NEW OR EXPANSION OF EXISTING OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS LEASES OFF THE COAST 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 and coasts, 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 environment by adopting City policies and practicing environmental stewardship; and WHEREAS, in 1986, the City of Morro Bay passed Measure "C", which was codified as Ordinance 297: "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 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 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, 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, 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 hereby supports in State and Federal waters in the Pacific Ocean along the United States, 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. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Morro Bay at a regular meeting thereof held on this 27th day of February 2018 on the following vote: AYES: Irons, NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Davis, Hluck dding, Makowetski, McPherson ATTEST: w Boa ANA SWANSON, City Clerk