Offshore Oil Foes Rallying

A newly formed grass roots organization opposed to plans by the federal government to open six offshore tracts off Orange County for oil exploration conducted a “working rally” Saturday in Laguna Beach to enlist help in opposing the proposed drilling in the Catalina Channel.

More than 100 citizens gathered on the lawn of City Hall to receive literature and petition forms that the group, Save Our Shores, hopes will eventually dissuade Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel from going ahead with the leasing of 54 square miles off the county coastline.

Bill McCoy, one of the principal organizers when the group was formed less than two weeks ago, said Save Our Shores will try to enlist more members in preparation for a meeting with Hodel on Aug. 31 when the interior secretary will receive public testimony on the issue during a hearing in Newport Beach.

Rally to Continue

“This is a working rally that will continue until Aug. 31 when we will meet with him (Hodel),” McCoy said.

What has stirred the wrath of many residents of San Clemente, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach--the four municipalities that have joined to oppose the offshore oil drilling--is a compromise reached last month by Hodel and the California Congressional delegation to lift an oil-drilling moratorium on 1,350 square miles off the coasts of Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Humboldt counties.

Since that compromise is not scheduled for final approval until September, Save Our Shores has scheduled opposition rallies the rest of the month.

Next Saturday, the group will hold a second educational rally in Laguna Beach. And the following week, the organization will sponsor a demonstration at Laguna’s main beach at which participants will be asked to form a human wave to protest offshore drilling. The week after that, on Aug. 31, Save Our Shores will petition Hodel to delete the six Orange County tracts from the proposed oil exploration plan.

Options Open to Congress

Congress still has the option of continuing year-to-year moratoriums for offshore drilling in California or of approving a 15-year moratorium.

“Our first goal” McCoy said, “is to have the tracts in this area included in a 15-year moratorium that runs through the year 2000. Failing that, we’d like to be included in the one-year moratorium.”

McCoy said that a final outcome of the offshore-oil-exploration plan could hinge on citizen input since local residents were not given an opportunity to influence their congressmen before the compromise was worked out with Hodel.

During Saturday’s rally, the organizers gave those who attended the addresses of local legislators so that they may write and protest Hodel’s plan.

Although Hodel is conducting a local hearing on the offshore oil drilling matter, it appears unlikely that he will strike the Orange County tracts from the final plan. Hodel, in fact, is reported by California congressmen to be in favor of allowing even more offshore oil drilling in California than is called for in the tentative plan worked out with the state’s Congressional delegation.

Laguna Beach Councilman Robert F. Gentry said the proposed drilling plan would greatly affect the county’s beaches since the tracts are located between Catalina Island and the four beach cities opposing the plan.

“We are not opposed to offshore drilling, but we are opposed to drilling so near shore,” Gentry said. “The waters between Catalina Island and the mainland should be protected.”

The councilman also said that Save Our Shores should be given an opportunity to convince Hodel and California congressmen involved in the plan that offshore drilling in Orange County would have an adverse effect on the environment and the county’s ability to attract tourists to the beaches.

“This has been started as a new citizen grass-roots movement of people who have not been involved with the issue before,” Gentry. “They must be heard now because there was no citizen input before the deal (between Hodel and the congressmen) was cut.”