Action Alert September 7, 2008

Santa Barbara County Action Network

INFORMATION & ACTION ALERT

Greetings SB CAN members and friends! Please take a few moments to review the upcoming events andnews. Here they are in brief:

1. Final MTD hearing on bus fare increase - Monday, Sept 8, Santa Barbara

2. Santa Barbara City Council resolution on off-shore oil drilling- Tuesday, September 9, Santa Barbara

3. Support SB 840 - California Universal Health Care Act: Ask Governor Schwarzenegger to sign the bill now.

4. 50 Environmental Organizations Commend Governor Schwarzenegger for his Continued Opposition to New Offshore Oil Drilling

5. SB CAN Column - "The Full Scoop on Oil Seeps"

 Now the Details

1. Bus Fare Increase, Final MTD Hearing 

WHAT: MTD Board Hearing on Fare increases
WHEN: Monday, September 8, 2008. 5:30 pm
WHERE: MTD Business Office, 550 Olive Street. Santa Barbara

Due to a rise of cost in fuel, Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transportation District (MTD) is facing a challenge in maintaining service and
a balanced budget, which is why they are looking to increase fares in the very
near future. It is our job to advocate for FAIR fares!

It is important to maximize community involvement in the process, at a time whensuch a decision can affect all those who ride the bus out of necessity, or out of a
choice for alternative transportation.

The current single fare is $1.25 but MTD staff is considering raising the fare to
$2.00. Other pending decisions include raising senior & disabled passes, as well
as monthly passes, and interregional bus service fares.

Join SB CAN, PUEBLO, COAST, SBWPC, SBCLUE and AFSCME in advocating for FAIR fares.

2. Santa Barbara City Council resolution on off-shore oil drilling

WHAT: Santa Barbara City Council resolution on off-shore oil drilling
WHEN: Tuesday, September 9, 6:00 PM
WHERE: City Council Chambers, Santa Barbara City Hall, De La Guerra Plaza

The Santa Barbara City Council will consider a resolution in support of the State and Federal Moratoria on New Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing off the Santa Barbara Coastline on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 6:00 pm. 

According to the Memorandum issued by Mayor Marty Blum and Council members Helene Schneider and Das Williams, the proposed Resolution is intended to re-emphasize the City's support of the oil moratorium, which has taken on new significance in light of the national media surrounding the August 26, 2008 Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors vote against the moratorium. The resolution notes that "City of Santa Barbara residents have long opposed new oil and gas drilling off their coastline" and that "the City of Santa Barbara is the site of the devastating oil spill of 1969 that led to the forming of the modern environmental movement and Earth Day worldwide." 
 

Please attend and show your support to the city of Santa Barbara in adopting this resolution.

3. Support SB 840 - California Universal Health Care Act

SB 840 - California Universal Health Care Act to provide comprehensive, high quality healthcare for all Californians has passed in the Assembly, and will soon be soon headed to the Governor's desk. Please contact Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to let him know that you support real healthcare reform in California.

SB 840 is based on the following principles:

*One health insurance plan (single payer) that covers every California resident 
*High quality private care and comprehensive benefits, and choice of your own personal doctor
*Affordable for individuals, families and businesses

Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger now, and ask him to sign SB 840. You can write to him at: State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA 95814, or call the Governor's office 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at 916-445-2841.

For more information on how this bill will help you and your family and neighbors, go tohttp://www.onecarenow.org/

SB CAN has endorsed SB 840 - California Universal Health Care Act to provide comprehensive, high quality healthcare for all Californians.

4. 50 Environmental Organizations Commend Governor Schwarzenegger for his Continued Opposition to New Offshore Oil Drilling

Last week, over 50 international, national, state and local environmental organizations (including SB CAN) sent a letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger objecting to an August 26th 3-2 split vote by the Santa BarbaraCounty Board of Supervisors requesting that the Governor approve expanded offshore oil drilling off Santa Barbara County.

In response to the Board's action, California Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman made it clear in a statement that appeared in the New York Times that the Governor's oft-stated and unequivocal opposition to new drilling off the coast of California remained firm and unchanged in the face of Santa Barbara County's request: "...from our perspective, our position hasn't changed. The Governor has been very clear in his opposition to increased drilling off the coast ofCalifornia." ("California County's Resolve Against Drilling Fades," New York Times 8/27/2008)

"On behalf of the 50 signers of this letter, we commend Governor Schwarzenegger for his continued leadership on this issue and his unwavering opposition to new drilling off the California coast," said Susan Jordan of the California Coastal Protection Network.

"The Governor's opposition to expanded oil drilling as a solution to the current energy crisis serves as a beacon to those who are committed to moving U.S. energy policy into the future," she said.

Governor Schwarzenegger's commitment is evident as well in the recently signed West Coast Governor's agreement that contains a specific prohibition on new offshore oil leasing: http://westcoastoceans.gov/

5. SB CAN Column - "The Full Scoop on Oil Seeps"

Every second and fourth Friday, an SB CAN column appears in the Looking Forward column in the Santa Maria Times. Our columns also appear in the Lompoc Record and at Noozhawk.com. You can read recent columns posted on our website www.sbcan.org under "SB CAN Editorials."

The following column was printed in the Santa Maria Times and at Noozhawk.com in August.

The Full Scoop on Oil Seeps

By Deborah Brasket, SB CAN Executive Director

Oil and gas have been seeping up from the ocean floor into the sea for thousands of years, and the SantaBarbara Channel is home to one of the largest seep fields in the world.

This fact has been misused by some powerful interests who would like to lift the off-shore oil drilling ban. An industry-funded group called Stop Oil Seeps (SOS) is advocating for increased oil drilling off Santa Barbara's coast, claiming that this will reduce natural oil seeps harmful to the environment.

Two weeks ago I wrote a column debunking some of the myths being used to support lifting the off-shore oil ban, including this one. Since the question about oil seeps has aroused local interest, here are further details on the subject, examining two crucial questions: (1) Does natural oil seepage harm the environment? (2) If so, does off-shore oil drilling help to reduce the seepage?

So, how harmful are oil seeps to the environment? We know that seep vents release several gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons, and some are toxic. However, studies show that most of these harmful elements dissolve or biodegrade rapidly in the water before ever reaching the atmosphere, while others become part of the food chain. The parts that do make it to shore in the form of tar or pitch may be a nuisance, but have no significant effect on nearshore ecosystems, according to a definitive study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research. The harmful gases that do reach the surface contribute to only 5% of the smog in our county, according to the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. The burning of fossil fuels is a far more significant factor in air pollution. Altogether, research indicates that the seeps are not a significant cause of air or water pollution in Santa Barbara County.

Given this reality, the question of whether oil-drilling will reduce seeps may be a moot point. In any event, the research regarding this question is inconclusive. While one study indicates a decline of seepage near Platform Holly, there is insufficient evidence to support or refute the claim that oil drilling is actually the cause of reduced oil seepage. Moreover, the reduction supposedly caused by oil drilling in one area could actually cause increased seepage in another area. According to one local geohydrologist: "During a major cleanup operation at Cape Canaveral, the injection of steam into a contaminant source area spread the contaminated plume to areas that had previously been clean. As a result, cleanup estimates increased by more than five-fold. This exemplifies the fact that injection of materials to encourage movement and extraction of petroleum . . . is not always controllable."

In the end, there's no clear evidence that natural seepage does grave harm to the environment, or that drilling will reduce seeps rather than increasing seepage elsewhere. The argument that lifting the off-shore oil ban will cure natural oil seepage is itself a "red herring."

One critic responding to my last column wrote: "Was the SOS claim that drilling will stop seepage directed to a few specific fields, or all fields? Because it's a nonsensical claim. It has been shown to be the case in isolated instances. But the vast majority of oil fields have no seeps at all. And many fields that do have seeps are already being drilled. Anyone who knows the industry knows this . . . .listen to authoritative voices, not extremists."

An intelligent debate on lifting the ban on off-shore oil drilling should not be sidetracked into a discussion about oil seeps. I hope this column helps put that argument to rest.