Coast : Resolution Reiterates Oil Drilling Opposition

The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday adopted a resolution reaffirming its opposition to oil drilling in the waters off county beaches and is urging other counties to join in a regional battle against drilling.

Supervisors have for the past year vehemently opposed a proposal by the federal Interior Department that would allow drilling in 1,350 square miles of California coastal waters, including 54 square miles off the county.

Supervisor Thomas F. Riley said spoiling the environment through drilling “would spell economic disaster for Orange County cities.” Supervisor Harriett Wieder added that drilling would increase the air pollution that another branch of the federal government, the Environmental Protection Agency, is trying to curb.

The supervisors forwarded their resolution to state officials for inclusion in a report to the Interior Department and also sent it to supervisors in Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties, asking them to take a unified stand against the proposed drilling.