A Coastline Under Assault : U. S. Makes Move Toward Leasing Offshore Tracts for Oil Drilling

In a move that has shocked and angered North County officials, the federal government has taken preliminary steps toward the potential lease of 17 sea-bottom tracts for oil drilling off Oceanside and Carlsbad.

The parcels, which range from 3 to 18 miles offshore, were excluded from an earlier leasing proposal because of potential conflicts with Navy and Marine Corps training operations in the area.

But talks between military officials and the Department of Interior in recent months, officials said, have resulted in the Defense Department agreeing to consider allowing oil drilling. Interior Department officials say a resolution to remaining problems could be reached by the end of the year.

Comments to Be Sought

In the meantime, the federal Minerals Management Service on Thursday will issue an official “call for comments and nominations,” opening a 30-day review period in which the public and oil companies can express support for or opposition to the leasing of the parcels.

“This is the front end of the process,” said Dick Wilhelmsen, regional leasing supervisor for the minerals service. “This is just an information-gathering step.”

Despite such assurances, local officials were outraged Tuesday about the proposal to lease the offshore tracts, which stretch from the Santa Margarita River on Camp Pendleton nine miles south to Carlsbad.

“We’ll fight this tooth and nail,” said John Weil, an assistant to Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad), who has been a staunch opponent of oil drilling off San Diego County. “They’re going to have a very, very tough fight on their hands. . . . We’ll do whatever it takes to stop it.”

Oceanside Mayor Larry Bagley said local residents have been “double-crossed,” noting that the Interior Department had offered assurances in the past that the North County parcels would not be considered for drilling until 1992 at the earliest.

“Here we go again,” Bagley said. “I think (Interior Secretary Donald) Hodel is going to find we’ll fight just as hard as we did before, maybe a little bit harder.”

Though tracts off Del Mar and La Jolla have not been included in the latest leasing proposal, it may only be a matter of time before those areas are also spotlighted, Bagley said. The mayor said he plans to push for a public hearing in North County on the issue and will contact the San Diego congressional delegation.

Dana Whitson, Oceanside’s special projects director, questioned the timing of the announcement, noting that it comes just days after the presidential election.

“I think the military and the Interior Department probably cut a deal beforehand,” Whitson said. “Now, they’re going forward knowing that George Bush is going to be in the White House.”

Whitson said estimates of the resource value of tracts off the San Diego County coast indicate there is a limited supply of oil and gas.

“I’ve heard there is only the equivalent of a one-day national energy supply off San Diego County,” Whitson said. “That’s too low, in our opinion, to justify the risks to the environment that would occur with oil drilling.”

Wilhelmsen, of the minerals service, however, said it is difficult to determine what energy potential lies beneath the ocean off San Diego County because there has been no drilling.

“That’s why we’re going out (for the potential lease), to see if there’s the interest by the industry to bid these tracts,” he said.

While the tracts off North County are being studied for possible leasing, a final decision on which parcels to offer will not be made by Interior Department officials until 30 days before the sale.

Concern Shelved Project

The original oil-sale lease area, which was announced by the Interior Department in mid-1987, extends from San Luis Obispo to Mexico and includes more than 1,300 tracts, most of them covering about 9 square miles.

Though numerous tracts off San Diego County were included in previous leasing proposals, most of those parcels--including the ones off Carlsbad and Oceanside--were removed from consideration because of concerns of local officials and the military.

San Diego County officials have opposed offshore oil drilling because of fears about oil spills or air pollution during drilling operations as well as the visual impact of offshore oil derricks on tourism.