San Clemente : Council Votes to Oppose Offshore Oil Program

The City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night in favor of a resolution opposing the U.S. Department of the Interior’s proposed five-year offshore oil leasing program.

The program, as outlined by Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel, would open for possible oil and gas exploration a large area off the Orange County coastline, with a six-mile buffer zone extending seaward from Newport Beach to Dana Point.

The council previously has supported a total moratorium on offshore oil drilling in Southern California and has supported Laguna Beach City Councilman Robert F. Gentry’s proposal to establish a national oceanic park between the county’s coast and Santa Catalina Island.

In a report to the City Council, Assistant City Manager Gregory L. Hulsizer called the proposed drilling plan “a step backward” that would have “negative effects . . . on the local tourist/business economy.”