CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS: 45TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT : Offshore Drilling Issue Gushes Into GOP Race

Stepping into the city walloped just two years ago by Orange County’s worst oil spill, two challengers for the Republican nomination in the 45th Congressional District on Friday matched their firm opposition to offshore oil drilling against Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s tacit support.

Echoing what have been long-held planks on their campaign platforms, Costa Mesa Councilman Peter F. Buffa and Huntington Beach Councilman Peter M. Green denounced offshore drilling during an hourlong session before the Huntington Harbour Republican Women.

Not so Rohrabacher. The two-term congressman, who is seeking reelection in the newly created 45th District after reapportionment carved up his Long Beach-based district, laid out a stand centered on the idea of “local option”--that shoreline residents should have a say in whether oil drilling is conducted in federal waters off the coast.

Noting that the recent Gulf War erupted in large part over oil, Rohrabacher stressed that exploration is vital to U.S. interests, saying, “It is important to our economy, it is important to national defense.”

He said offshore drilling is far safer than having oil carted in by tankers, such as the ill-fated American Trader, which ran atop its own anchor in 1990 and released nearly 400,000 gallons of oil that coated Orange County beaches.

The congressman also noted that he has introduced legislation requiring that one-third of any tax revenue derived from drilling be returned to residents along the coast who have to put up with unsightly rigs.

Rohrabacher’s stance sharply contrasted with that of Green and Buffa, who both said they would oppose any offshore drilling.

Green said studies have indicated that there is only enough oil off Southern California to fuel the country’s cars and factories for four months. He noted that offshore rigs spew pollution into the air and stressed that tourism and the quality of local life would suffer given the prospects of an oil spill.

Buffa agreed that the possibility of a spill poses a risk to the region’s tourism economy. He went even further, suggesting that all existing rigs be uprooted.

Offshore drilling “is a dumb idea whose time has passed,” Buffa said, later adding that he would “like to see those ugly (existing rigs) out of there as quickly as possible.”

Despite the stir over oil drilling, the debate Friday was otherwise tame, standing in sharp contrast to other meetings among the three candidates.

The race in recent weeks has been Orange County’s hottest, as the two challengers have repeatedly blistered Rohrabacher as he seeks victory in the June 2 Republican primary for the 45th District, which stretches along the county’s northwest coast from Newport Beach to Seal Beach and inland to Stanton, Westminster and Fountain Valley.

The GOP victor will be heavily favored in the November general election because the Republicans enjoy a wide voter registration edge--54.3% compared to 34.6% for the Democrats and 11% spread among the other parties.

Among the most vocal opponents of Rohrabacher have been Latino activists. They were angered after the congressman declared earlier this month that illegal immigrants are “bankrupting” the country and called for the abolition of their health, education and welfare benefits.

On Friday, the Orange County chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens kept up the pressure, dispatching a press release declaring that the organization decries the congressman’s “blatant insensitivity.”

Rohrabacher has refused to apologize and suggests that Latino leaders have branded him a racist to divert attention from his arguments.