Over the last week, a flurry of activity—from law makers, the public, and the occasional concerned polar bear—affirmed that drilling in our ocean is not the answer to our energy needs.  Opening new offshore areas risks permanent damage to our beaches, coastal economies and marine life.  We could lose these places forever. 

On April 16, West Coast ocean lovers rallied in San Francisco to tell Interior Secretary Salazar that drilling is not the answer—we need safe clean energy now. 

Spending our time on 19th-century fuels cannot be the priority anymore. This country – from the Heartland to our shores – needs to quickly move toward a cleaner safer energy future, creating millions of new jobs and jumpstarting the economy.  With careful planning, thorough testing, and full consideration of environmental impacts, we can realize the potential of clean, new power sources in our oceans, while protecting and improving valuable ocean ecosystems.  We must also remember that energy efficiency continues to be the most energy cost effective and environmentally sound way of meeting our energy needs.

The public has until September 21, 2009 to comment on the 5 year oil and gas plan for our ocean spaces in the Outer Continental Shelf—please take the time to submit detailed comments on this plan.

On April 21, California’s legislators passed Assembly Joint Resolution 3 (AJR 3), which stated, among other things:

The Legislature of the State of California respectfully opposes the proposed expansion of oil and gas drilling off the Pacific Coast and any federal energy policies and legislation that would weaken California's legitimate role in energy siting decisions due to the threat posed by those policies and legislation to the integrity of California's coastal and ocean dependent tourism and fishing economies and the consolidation of project review authority with the federal government

AJR 3 was authored by Assemblymembers Nava and Evans, with 35 other coauthors. 

To celebrate Earth Day 2009, President Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar unveiled the final framework for renewable energy production on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.  “It is fitting that on Earth Day President Obama is taking this bold step toward opening America’s oceans and new energy frontier, so that we can wisely build a clean energy economy that will create millions of new jobs across the country,”  Secretary Salazar said.   “This new framework will enhance our energy security and create the foundation for a new offshore energy sector that will employ Americans developing clean and renewable energy.”  

Adding to what I wrote yesterday: as we start to carefully digest the new framework, we are hopeful that it will help steer development towards those areas best suited to alternative energy projects, while protecting areas more vulnerable to serious environmental impacts.  MMS noted that the public comments received on the draft regulations requested the establishment of planning and coordination mechanisms to facilitate appropriate siting of OCS renewable energy activitiy.  The agency says it is committed to reaching out to stakeholders, participating in regional planning mechanisms, and applying the new rule:

"in conjunction with interagency-led planning activities that are undertaken to avoid conflicts among users and maximize the economic and ecological benefits of the OCS.  These activities will include multifaceted spatial planning effort[sic] that will incorporate ecosystem based science and stewardship along with socioeconomics, research, and modeling in the context for demands for other ocean uses and functions."  (See pages 20-22 of the Summary)