CHANNEL ISLANDS : Chevron Request Is Denied Again
An emergency request by Chevron Corp. to resume tanker shipping from its terminal at Gaviota to Los Angeles Harbor was denied again--the fifth time in as many months, officials said.
Peter M. Douglas, executive director of the California Coastal Commission, on Monday denied the oil company’s request to resume tanker shipping because Chevron could not prove that an emergency exists warranting such a permit and because the company has failed to secure a pipeline--with all necessary state permits--in which to carry its Point Arguello crude after 1996.
The company’s shipping permit was suspended Feb. 1.
According to Chevron spokesman G. Michael Marcy, the company has made five requests to both Santa Barbara County and to the commission for an emergency shipping permit. It claimed that damage to a pipeline by the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake is causing the company economic hardships because of the increased costs of using alternative pipelines and other methods of moving its Point Arguello crude oil.
The company processes an estimated 80,000 barrels of Point Arguello crude a day.
On Tuesday, environmental activists hailed Douglas’ decision.
“What part of ‘no’ don’t they understand?” said Linda Krop, acting chief counsel for the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center. “Obviously, there is no need for Chevron to tanker. We will do everything in our power to oppose further tankering, as it leads to increased air pollution and risks of oil spills off our coast.”
Marcy said Chevron will appeal Douglas’ decision to the full commission at its meeting next month in Huntington Beach.
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