SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – The Trump administration has been looking to open the waters off California to oil drilling, but several cities in San Diego County have pushed back.
On Tuesday, the Chula Vista City Council considered a resolution opposing the Trump administration’s plan.
The threat of oil spills from offshore drilling had Chula Vista students taking their fight to keep it from happening to the City Council.
Wearing their blue ocean conservation shirts, students from Olympian High School’s Eco Club encouraged Chula Vista council members to pass a resolution opposing offshore drilling in Southern California.
Amane Kadoya, an Olympian High School junior, said “our ocean is an ecosystem. It’s important to this world.” is an ecosystem. It’s important to this world.”
In January, the Trump administration proposed opening up the country’s waters to drilling, but granted Florida an exception.
“We want to make sure the federal government is being consistent in treating all of the states fairly and equally,” said Council member John McCann.
State officials, environmental groups and oil-industry analysts say California has solid regulatory and legal means to try to make good on that threat.
For one thing, oil companies know that even if the federal government sells leases in federal waters, California and other coastal states by law control the 3 miles (5 kilometers) nearest to shore, all along the coasts.
That means California decides on permits for any oil pipelines that would connect oil platforms to land, along with any transport centers, refineries or holding stations once the crude makes it ashore.
“I am very passionate about standing up to oil drilling because I care a lot about animals and sea life,” said sixth grader, Akari Kadoya.
San Diego County, the City of San Diego, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Imperial Beach and Chula Vista have all passed resolutions to oppose offshore drilling.
In California, where no new federal leases offshore have been approved since 1984, Gov. Jerry Brown joined governors of Oregon and Washington in vowing to do "whatever it takes" to stop that from happening off the West Coast.
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