Huntington Beach may support ban on oil drilling
City Council will weigh a measure to block new activities off California coast.
In the aftermath of an oil spill that began Oct. 1 off the coast of Orange County, the Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday night will consider supporting a permanent ban on new offshore oil drilling.
The agenda item was brought forward Huntington Beach by Mayor Kim Carr and Councilwoman Natalie Moser.
The measure would state that the council is opposed to new offshore oil and gas drilling, fracking and other well-stimulation activities in federal and state waters off the California coast.
Additionally, Carr and Moser are asking the council to support a ban on new federal oil and gas leasing in all U.S. waters.
Council members held a special meeting Oct. 4 and declared a local emergency.
Though oil was largely absent from the beach in the days after the spill, and the Huntington Beach shoreline was reopened Monday, cleanup efforts continue at the Talbert Marsh off Brookhurst Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.
On Thursday, U.S. Coast Guard officials said they believe the spill was close to 25,000 gallons — on the low end of projections. Still, Carr said Thursday that supporting the offshore drilling ban was necessary.
“I think it’s something we’ve looked at before,” Carr said. “But I think that now, with everything that’s happened over the past two weeks, it really shines a light that these platforms are aging . ... The positioning of these platforms was questionable to begin with.
“Now, with the amount of traffic in that particular area because of the logjam at the port, these platforms are even more susceptible to damage. We need to address this head-on and really look at the economic impact.”
The city received about $16 million in transient occupancy tax from its hotels in 2019, Car said, but it received next to nothing in revenue from the oil platforms.
The city makes just $632,000 per year in oil well license taxes and pipeline franchise fees, city spokeswoman Jennifer Carey said — less than 1% of its general fund budget.
Carey added that three city oil wells at Civic Center Plaza will be abandoned in the next few years.
“I think maybe at one time, it served its purpose,” Carr said of the wells. “But the city, our economy and our lifestyles — when it comes to renewable energy, all of that has shifted over the last 30 or 40 years.
“These really don’t make any sense anymore. They’ve served their purpose, and now it’s time to move forward and move in a new direction.”
Tuesday’s meeting can be seen on HBTV-3 or online at huntingtonbeachlegistar .com. Residents may email comments on agenda items to