Offshore Drilling Foes Demonstrate at Site of Governor’s Fund-Raiser

Hoping to make Gov. George Deukmejian’s support of offshore oil drilling a major issue in next year’s gubernatorial campaign, more than 50 environmentalists and local officials demonstrated against the governor Tuesday night outside his $250-a-plate fund-raising dinner here.

Carrying signs that labeled Deukmejian the “Duke of Oil,” the protesters criticized the governor for playing a key behind-the-scenes role in a recent congressional decision to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off California’s coast.

Critical Official

“Gov. Deukmejian has placed himself solidly on the side of the oil companies,” charged Santa Cruz County Supervisor Gary Patton. “The entire California coastline from the Oregon border to the Mexican border is going to be open for oil leasing.”

Deukmejian, who avoided the protesters by using a side entrance, told reporters that he favored protecting sensitive areas of the coast by negotiating with the federal government on a tract-by-tract basis. He said his approach has persuaded the U.S. Interior Department to place some parts of the coast off limits to oil drilling.

“We can still protect California’s very precious coastline,” he said. “The problem with the moratorium is you’re just delaying a decision.”

Dating back to his first campaign for governor in 1982, Deukmejian has been a consistent opponent of the federal moratorium.

Last month, he sent a last-minute telegram to Washington that was pivotal in persuading the House Appropriations Committee to reject extension of the moratorium by a vote of 27 to 26.

Press Conference

As the governor’s backers in this coastal community arrived at the Hyatt Regency, the protesters stood quietly outside and held a brief press conference.

“Gov. Deukmejian has been personally responsible for scuttling it (the moratorium),” Patton said. “We need--since he’s made his choice--to make a different choice this coming November.”

Monterey City Councilwoman Ruth Vreeland announced that the council had just unanimously approved a resolution to “protest” the governor’s opposition to the moratorium.

And other protesters charged that new oil exploration would lead to increased air pollution, the construction of new oil processing facilities on the shore and the production of toxic wastes in the ocean. Drilling could also lead to an oil spill that could harm the coast and marine life, they said.

But at the dinner, which netted the governor more than $150,000, Deukmejian told his supporters, “I would never be party to an agreement that damaged the beauty or the health of California’s coast. Neither will I support politically expedient policies which lock away all our resources and prevent us from becoming energy independent and creating the jobs our people desperately need.”