The Governor on Oil

In February the office of the governor of California was conspicuous by its absence from hearings on the Department of the Interior’s proposal to lease 1.1 million acres of the outer continental shelf off the coast of Mendocino and Humboldt counties for oil and gas exploration and drilling. Nearly every other government official interested in the issue adamantly opposed Interior’s Lease Sale No. 91 scheduled for February of 1989, as did residents of the spectacular coastal area and its tourist and fisheries industries.

But now the Deukmejian’s Administration has been heard from. And while the governor did not come out against the project, his aides have raised some sharp questions about proposed plans for mitigating the impact of oil and gas drilling and production. Since the governor generally has supported the Reagan Administration’s offshore oil program, the questions and criticisms bear special attention.

Interior’s draft environmental-impact statement needs to be stronger in many respects, said Jananne Sharpless, Deukmejian’s secretary for environmental affairs, including the effect on air quality, the fishing industry, tourism and the risk of oil spills. Significantly, Sharpless joined others in alleging that the department did not adequately explore alternatives to the project, including other forms of energy development in lieu of the limited amounts of oil that might be found.

Sharpless pointed out that California is a leader in conservation and alternative sources and has pursued a long-range energy program based on reducing the state’s dependence on foreign oil. Without saying so, Sharpless’ comment had the effect of pointing out that the federal Administration has no such policy, other than storing oil against a temporary disruption of supply. It also served to rebut the frequent complaint from Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel that Californians continue to burn massive amounts of gasoline in their automobiles without doing their share for domestic oil production.

The Deukmejian Administration’s response demonstrates that the Interior Department clearly has not justified leasing this most scenic and unspoiled section of the California coast for questionable amounts of oil.