Let your voice be heard-Tell Sacramento to close the loophole on drilling in a Marine Protected Area off our coast

Please sign this petition to support Senate Bill 1096, closing the oil & gas loophole and protecting a Marine Protected Area off Vandenberg Air Force Base.

In 1994, the California Coastal Sanctuary Act was passed, banning any new offshore oil and gas leases in State waters as a means to protect the marine environment and reduce the risk of oil spills. However, this Act contained an exception that would allow a new state lease if the oil and gas field is already being drained by wells within adjacent federal waters. The only place in the state of California subject to this exception is Tranquillon Ridge, located within a coastal sanctuary and designated as a Marine Protected Area, just off of Vandenberg Air Force Base. The establishment of the Vandenberg State Marine Protected Reserve in 2007 created the strongest possible protections to the area’s unique marine life habitats, biodiversity, and opportunities for recreation and education. In 2003 a National Park Service report identified the 215,000 acres along the Gaviota coast, including Vandenberg land, as one of only five locations in the world in terms of climate and vegetation and marine diversity.   Over two dozen threatened and endangered plants and animals were identified. 

Tranquillon Ridge has long been sought after by oil developers including the recent proposal to drill from Vandenberg Air Force Base by Sunset/Exxon. Senate Bill 1096, authored by California Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson and sponsored by the Environmental Defense Center, will close this loophole and protect our marine environment. Click here for more information on Senate Bill 1096.