HomeMy WebLinkAbout95-63 - Nationwide Outer Continental Shelf Oil Drilling MoratoriaRESOLUTION NO. 95- 63
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT
BEACH RECOMMENDING RENEWAL OF NATIONWIDE OUTER
CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) OIL DRILLING MORATORIA.
• WHEREAS, the U.S. House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Department
of Interior Appropriations is considering lifting the current nationwide ban on offshore
oil drilling along environmentally sensitive areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS);
and
WHEREAS, technology does not exist to fully prevent, clean up, or contain oil
spills for the types of ocean and wind conditions that are present throughout the year
in the affected offshore waters adjacent to the Orange County coast; and
WHEREAS, coastal dependent tourism is a mainstay of the local economy in
the communities of the southern California coast, as well as other coastal areas in
California and elsewhere that would be impacted by a lifting of the drilling moratorium;
and
WHEREAS, critical commercial fishery tracts would be impacted by the oil
drilling activities that would be permitted by this action, and that serve fishing conflicts
could be expected to occur; and
WHEREAS, estuaries and river mouths which serve as critical nursery and
food source habitats for commercial fish species would be in direct proximity to oil
drilling activities permitted by a lifting of the OCS drilling moratorium, and would
therefore be subject to significant adverse impacts in the event of a spill; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Newport Beach has traditionally
taken a lead role in opposition to offshore drilling proposals that could impact the
Orange County coastline.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of
Newport Beach urges that the U.S. House of Representatives' Subcommittee on
Department of Interior Appropriations include renewal of the moratoria on Outer
Continental Shelf oil drilling activities in coastal areas in this year's House Interior
Appropriations Bill.
ADOPTED this 12tH date of June 1995.
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK
A J° t
MAYOR