Sierra Club Orange County Oil Spill Town Hall

 

On Saturday, October 2nd an oil spill from a pipeline connecting an offshore oil platform to the mainland began its long and destructive path down the coast, spreading oil from Huntington Beach to San Diego.  The spill is estimated to be at least 25,000 gallons and as of October 26th, only 5,500 gallons have been recovered so far. Tarballs have been found as far south as Mission Beach in San Diego County.  This was not a small spill and we were not lucky as some have claimed.  

 

The environmental and economic impacts of the spill are huge and long-lasting.  Over one hundred wildlife were killed outright by the spill with thousands more impacted.  Local fishers have lost their income from fishing closures and businesses have lost tourist income.  This is all unnecessary, the remaining offshore rigs in California are obsolete and a constant threat to our environment and economy.  The only good that has come out of this spill is a renewed focus on this problem and efforts are underway to stop offshore drilling. The Sierra Club position on this is clear, we oppose all drilling, on and offshore.  In response to the spill, the cities of Huntington and Laguna Beach passed resolutions opposing offshore drilling, and state and federal elected officials are proposing action.  We need to support these efforts and more. 

 

While the news media has dropped the oil spill as an issue it is far from over.  If we don’t take action now we will be dealing with another spill, and that is unacceptable.  To address this issue the Sierra Club Orange County Conservation Committee is hosting an Orange County Oil Spill Town Hall on Saturday, November 20th at 4 pm.  This will be an in-person and online event, you can see the details and RSVP here. Please register.  Maximum  in person Capacity of venue

is 100, please arrive early or on time to assure attendance. We invite you to attend and learn how you can take action to stop future oil spills.