Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/3/2017 Item 15, Wolff Christian, Kevin From:ECOSLO Advocate <advocate@ecoslo.org> Sent:Tuesday, October 03, To:E-mail Council Website Subject:Oil Free Seas Resolution Attachments:2017.08.03 Oil Free Seas Resolution Public Comment .pdf Greetings Council Members and Mayor Harmon, Please see the attached letter regarding the Oil Free Seas Resolution on the agenda for tonight's meeting (October 3rd). Thank you, Elena Wolff Earth Advocacy Intern ECOSLO 1 Office:​​ ​246​ ​Higuera​ ​St. ​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​Phone:​(805)​ ​544-1777 San​ ​Luis​ ​Obispo,​ ​CA​ ​93406 ​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​Email:​​ ​info@ecoslo.org Mail:​ ​​PO​ ​Box​ ​1014 ​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​Online:​​ ​www.ecoslo.org San​ ​Luis​ ​Obispo,​ ​CA​ ​93406 Protecting​ ​and​ ​enhancing​ ​the​ ​Central​ ​Coast​ ​since​ ​1971 October​ ​3,​ ​2017 San​ ​Luis​ ​Obispo​ ​City​ ​Council 990​ ​Palm​ ​St. San​ ​Luis​ ​Obispo,​ ​CA​ ​93401 Greetings​ ​Mayor​ ​Harmon​ ​and​ ​members​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Council: I​ ​am​ ​representing​ ​the​ ​Environmental​ ​Center​ ​of​ ​San​ ​Luis​ ​Obispo​ ​(ECOSLO)​ ​and​ ​our​ ​thousands​ ​of members​ ​throughout​ ​SLO​ ​County,​ ​to​ ​advocate​ ​in​ ​support​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Oil​ ​Free​ ​Seas​ ​Resolution.​ ​​ ​ECOSLO’s goal​ ​since​ ​1971,​ ​has​ ​been​ ​educate,​ ​advocate​ ​and​ ​act​ ​in​ ​ways​ ​that​ ​protect​ ​and​ ​enhance​ ​our​ ​natural spaces,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​why​ ​I​ ​am​ ​here​ ​to​ ​support​ ​this​ ​resolution. The​ ​Oil​ ​Free​ ​Seas​ ​Resolution​ ​calls​ ​for​ ​no​ ​new​ ​drilling,​ ​fracking,​ ​or​ ​other​ ​well​ ​stimulation​ ​in​ ​state and​ ​federal​ ​waters​ ​off​ ​the​ ​California​ ​coast,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​no​ ​new​ ​federal​ ​oil​ ​and​ ​gas​ ​leasing​ ​in​ ​the Pacific,​ ​Atlantic,​ ​Arctic,​ ​and​ ​Eastern​ ​Gulf​ ​of​ ​Mexico.​ ​​ ​Though​ ​this​ ​goal​ ​may​ ​seem​ ​somewhat​ ​lofty,​ ​the only​ ​way​ ​to​ ​achieve​ ​it​ ​is​ ​one​ ​step​ ​at​ ​a​ ​time,​ ​and​ ​my​ ​hope​ ​is​ ​that​ ​the​ ​City​ ​of​ ​San​ ​Luis​ ​Obispo​ ​will​ ​be one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​first​ ​stepping​ ​stones​ ​on​ ​the​ ​path​ ​to​ ​ensuring​ ​a​ ​clean​ ​and​ ​sustainable​ ​future. President​ ​Trump​ ​has​ ​put​ ​our​ ​coastal​ ​waters​ ​in​ ​danger​ ​by​ ​signing​ ​the​ ​“America​ ​First​ ​Offshore Energy​ ​Strategy”​ ​executive​ ​order.​ ​​ ​This​ ​order​ ​opens​ ​up​ ​our​ ​oceans​ ​to​ ​offshore​ ​drilling​ ​and​ ​fracking that​ ​directly​ ​threatens​ ​marine​ ​ecosystems​ ​and​ ​coastal​ ​communities.​ ​​ ​These​ ​harmful​ ​activities contribute​ ​heavily​ ​to​ ​climate​ ​change​ ​and​ ​ocean​ ​acidification​ ​by​ ​increasing​ ​our​ ​dependence​ ​on​ ​fossil fuels​ ​and​ ​therefore​ ​delaying​ ​our​ ​transition​ ​to​ ​clean​ ​energy. The​ ​Refugio​ ​oil​ ​spill​ ​off​ ​the​ ​coast​ ​of​ ​Santa​ ​Barbara​ ​in​ ​2015​ ​showed​ ​us​ ​the​ ​catastrophic​ ​effects​ ​of offshore​ ​drilling​ ​first​ ​hand,​ ​and​ ​events​ ​like​ ​this​ ​need​ ​not​ ​be​ ​repeated.​ ​​ ​The​ ​harm​ ​caused​ ​to​ ​our beaches​ ​and​ ​wildlife​ ​is​ ​not​ ​worth​ ​the​ ​supposed​ ​economic​ ​gain​ ​from​ ​offshore​ ​oil​ ​extraction. In​ ​fact,​ ​the​ ​jobs​ ​that​ ​rely​ ​on​ ​a​ ​clean​ ​and​ ​healthy​ ​ocean​ ​ecosystem,​ ​through​ ​fishing,​ ​recreation​ ​and tourism,​ ​have​ ​the​ ​potential​ ​to​ ​contribute​ ​far​ ​more​ ​economic​ ​gain​ ​than​ ​that​ ​which​ ​would​ ​be provided​ ​through​ ​offshore​ ​oil​ ​extraction.​ ​​ ​We​ ​must​ ​keep​ ​our​ ​ecosystems,​ ​our​ ​jobs,​ ​and​ ​ourselves safe​ ​by​ ​saying​ ​no​ ​to​ ​offshore​ ​drilling​ ​and​ ​fracking. We​ ​must​ ​stand​ ​in​ ​support​ ​of​ ​protecting​ ​our​ ​natural​ ​resources​ ​by​ ​passing​ ​this​ ​resolution,​ ​which​ ​tells Trump​ ​and​ ​the​ ​administration​ ​that​ ​we​ ​will​ ​not​ ​stand​ ​for​ ​the​ ​destruction​ ​of​ ​our​ ​oceans,​ ​and​ ​that​ ​our energy​ ​should​ ​be​ ​coming​ ​from​ ​clean,​ ​renewable​ ​sources.​ ​​ ​Please​ ​join​ ​me​ ​and​ ​ECOSLO,​ ​in​ ​support​ ​of the​ ​Oil​ ​Free​ ​Seas​ ​Resolution,​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​safeguard​ ​our​ ​oceans​ ​for​ ​the​ ​future. Thank​ ​you, Mary​ ​A.​ ​Ciesinski,​ ​Executive​ ​Director ECOSLO​ ​is​ ​a​ ​501(c)(3)​ ​not-for-profit,​ ​and​ ​our​ ​Federal​ ​Tax​ ​ID​ ​number​ ​is​ ​23-7213237