HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-10975 opposing a proposal to truck oil along Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Kern County highways and oppose an oil pipeline servicing offshore drilling platformsRESOLUTION NO. 10975 (2019 SERIES)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LUIS
OBISPO, CALIFORNIA, OPPOSING A PROPOSAL TO TRUCK
OFFSHORE OIL ALONG SANTA BARBARA, SAN LUIS OBISPO, AND
KERN COUNTY HIGHWAYS AND TO OPPOSE A PROPOSAL TO
BUILD A COASTAL OIL PIPELINE SERVICING AGING OFFSHORE
DRILLING PLATFORMS
WHEREAS, City of San Luis Obispo values our state's ocean and coastal waters, which
provide habitat to a vast array of wildlife, including fish, whales, sea turtles, and birds that depend
on a healthy and clean environment; and
WHEREAS, San Luis Obispo's residents and its visitors enjoy our beaches and the Pacific
Ocean for recreational, commercial, and educational activities, all of which support our local
economy; and
WHEREAS, in 2015 a pipeline serving offshore drilling platforms burst near Refugio
State Beach which fouled beaches and coastal waters for miles, causing irreparable damage to the
environment and wildlife; and
WHEREAS, the operating company of the aforementioned pipeline was recently
convicted on multiple charges for failing to properly maintain that pipeline, failing to timely call
emergency response agencies, and killing marine mammals, seabirds, and other marine life; and
WHEREAS, that company has a long history of spills and enforcement actions against it;
and
WHEREAS, newly constructed pipelines pose significant risk of spills, with the risk
increasing dramatically from pipelines after 20 years; many of the pipelines that will connect to
this one are past 20 years of age; and
WHEREAS, oil truck accidents cause fires and explosions, injure and kill people, and spill
hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude a year onto roads and into waterways; and
WHEREAS, burning the 4 million barrels of oil intended for trucking in a year would
result in over 1.7 million metric tons of carbon pollution -- the same amount as burning nearly 2
billion pounds of coal; and
WHEREAS, both the trucking and pipeline routes would pass through critical habitat for
several species protected as threatened or endangered under the federal ESA, including red -legged
frogs, California tiger salamanders and Southern California steelhead, which are highly susceptible
to toxic crude oil; and
WHEREAS, these proposals would ensure ongoing operations of aging offshore drilling
platforms into the foreseeable future, which is fundamentally inconsistent with California's
legislation and executive orders focused on deep decarbonization and carbon neutrality; and
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Resolution No. 10975 (2019 Series)
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WHEREAS, in 2017 the City of San Luis Obispo approved Resolution No. 10836
supporting a ban on new drilling, fracking, and related techniques, opposing new or expansion of
existing oil and gas leases, and supporting a phase-out of all oil and gas extraction.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo
that:
SECTION 1. The City of San Luis Obispo opposes any proposal to truck offshore oil
along Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Kern County highways and opposes any proposal to
build coastal oil pipelines that service the aging offshore drilling platforms.
Upon motion of Council Member Christianson, seconded by Vice Mayor Pease, and on the
following roll call vote:
AYES: Council Members Christianson, Gomez, and Stewart,
Vice Mayor Pease and Mayor Harmon
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
The foregoing resolution was adopted this 15th day of January 2019.
ATTEST:
Teresa Purrington, City Clrk
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City
of San Luis Obispo, California, this ZLI"r" day of ZU 1
Teresa Purrington, City Cle k
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