It's Time to Educate Santa Barbara about Natural Oil Seeps!

Up until approximately 30 years ago, Santa Barbara schools would include facts about the offshore natural oil and gas seeps (located in the Santa Barbara Channel) within their curriculum. Unfortunately, today the knowledge of why we have tar on our SB beaches is not as readily available to both students and teachers. Often the offshore oil production take the blame for oil slicks in the water and tar on our white sand beaches, while the fact is actually just the opposite: offshore oil production has contributed to a cleaner marine environment in Santa Barbara.

This morning, SOS received a testimony from a concerned parent of a Santa Barbara student:

“I am a native to SB. My son came home and told me about a teacher (high school) that was almost in tears about getting tar on her feet on a SB beach and blamed the oil platforms for the problem.  I had to explain to him that it's from "natural oil seeps" in the SB Channel and that long before we were here the Chumash used the tar from the beaches to repair their boats. I told him the teacher was wrong to tell the class the tar was from oil platforms.  Then I did a quick search on google and found you. Your website is very helpful and educational.”

This exemplifies some of the issues in the Santa Barbara community that we at SOS California would like to address:

1. The lack of information about the oil in the water/tar on the beaches due to changes in the local educational curriculum - and the world-wide phenomenon that is unique to Santa Barbara (home to the 2nd largest offshore oil & gas seeps in the world!)
2. The perpetuation of myths from our children's ill-informed teachers/educational system (where is our environmental educators on this?)

Help us inform our local community about the concerns with natural oil seepage! We would like to invite any Santa Barbara local to the discussion.

• What are your experiences with tar on the beaches?
• What did you learn about it in school?
• How do you think we can change the way we educate our community about these issues?

Please SHARE your experience, it is valuable to us, you and the Santa Barbara community!

SOS Testifies at Hearing in Washington DC

SOS Testifies at Hearing in Washington DC   "Energy Independence:  Domestic Opportunities to Reverse California's Growing Dependence on Foreign Oil."  Los Angeles Basin Crude Oil Supply study forecast shows that by 2020 over 80% of California's oil supply will be imported from foreign countries.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 4, 2014 Alice Green, Member of the Board of Directors of SOS California, testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources about the "domestic opportunities to reverse California's growing dependence on foreign oil." In her testimony, Ms. Green, an environmental consultant with an undergraduate degree in Biology (University of Pennsylvania) and a Masters Degree in Marine Resource Management (Texas A&M), summarized key facts surrounding the potential benefits of developing the offshore energy projects proposed for the OCS and State waters along Santa Barbara County. With the use of new technology, she explained that these oil and gas reserves can be access by existing infrastructure and directional drilling - there is likely no need for additional facilities.  ...With proven directional drilling technology, formations in the Santa Barbara Channel are accessible mostly from land-based slant drilling with no offshore spill risk... reserves are near existing infrastructure and producible within approximately 18 months with State and Federal approval.     --Alice Green, SOS California For the past seven years SOS California has been educating the public about the environmental impact of hydrocarbon seep pollution in the ocean. California beaches are washed with oil seepage - daily - from state and OCS waters along 100 miles of the central coastline. The offshore natural oil and gas seeps pollute the marine environment, killing seabirds, sickening surfers, and are a significant source of air pollution in Santa Barbara County. ...Producing these reserves could have an extraordinarily beneficial effect on the environment by removing about 80 tons of methane gas - per day - from the atmosphere.   --SOS California  The environmental impact of these "natural occurrences" is substantial, and SOS believes the economic impact from the unrealized revenue that basically washes away every day is significant as well. New OCS royalty revenues ultimately could reach 1 trillion dollars and provide permanently cleaner beaches, directed funding increases for schools and other essential services, and long-term subsidy increases for renewable incentives. A 2013 study by Dr. Mark Schneipp, Director of the California Economic Forecast, demonstrates that allowing production in state and federal waters offshore California would provide broad economic benefits while creating up to 100,000 high-paying technical jobs. According to the California Energy Commission, California produces only about 37.2 percent of the petroleum it uses. In 2007, the state spent nearly $50 billion for gasoline and $9.7 billion for diesel. Petroleum-based fuels account for 96 percent of the state's transportation needs. The tremendous and growing cost of oil imports was addressed by the Committee, with Ms. Green questioning the assumption that the U.S. will be able to continue to borrow overseas money for the next 30 years, while running a 600 billion dollar a year trade deficit primarily due to imported oil. More important, a Los Angeles Basin Crude Oil Supply study forecast shows that by 2020 over 80% of California oil will be imported from foreign countries.  ...Led by Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, Iraq and Columbia, foreign suppliers now provide most of California's oil supply.  --Rep. Tom McClintock  With California currently importing over 60% of its oil from foreign sources, in addition to oil from Alaska, we are highly dependent upon coastal oil tanker transportation. Ms. Green cited ta study by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) warning that tanker spills represent a far higher catastrophic risk than offshore production, and emphasized that tankering creates a much greater carbon footprint than producing California's offshore reserves. Further, Representative Doug LaMalfa and California Senator Jean Fuller explained to the Committee that California is losing its oil and gas infrastructure, as producers are leaving the state in response to the demand of oil producing states, such as North Dakota. Concurring with Ms. Green, Sen. Fuller explained that California has a unique opportunity to generate significant revenue and create thousands of new jobs by opening up energy production.  This hearing is about choice: To continue to import oil or open up production in California.      --Representative Doug Lamborn, Committee Chairman    Educating the public about how advances in offshore oil and gas technology and safety systems have allowed California to benefit from the reductions in coastal seepage pollution is paramount for SOS California. Informing the public - and policy makers - about the potential revenue and energy resources available to the state and county is the mission of SOS. We believe that a healthy partnership between the environmental community and the energy industry is the bridge to our renewable future. To that end, SOS California provided the Committee on Natural Resources with fact-based research including: The extent of pollution caused by natural oil and gas seeps How peer-reviewed studies have proven that extraction of oil and gas resources has been responsible for reductions in coastal oil seepage pollution, resulting in cleaner beaches and improved air quality along the California's central coastline  How exploration and production of offshore reserves can be conducted in an environmentally safe manner How expanded offshore production in California would dramatically reduce the cost of oil imports and oil transportation in California waters How potential new offshore oil and gas royalty revenues can fund the transition to a renewable energy infrastructure

SOS California 1187 Coast Village Rd - #455 Santa Barbara CA  93108 805.969.9259		www.soscalifornia.org

Santa Barbara Nonprofit to Testify at Congressional Hearing in Washington DC on California Energy Independence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Santa Barbara Nonprofit to Testify   at Congressional Hearing in Washington DC   on California Energy Independence:  Domestic Opportunities to Reverse California's Growing Dependence on Foreign Oil SANTA BARBARA, CA  -  Alice Green, a Member of the Board of Directors of SOS (Stop Oil Seeps) California, has been invited to testify before the House Committee on Natural Resources in Washington on April 4th about the "domestic opportunities to reverse California's growing dependence on foreign oil."  Ms. Green, an environmental consultant with an undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters Degree in Marine Resource Management from Texas A&M, writes a blog (www.californiaoil.blogspot.com) relating to offshore energy production, policy issues and resource management. In her testimony, Ms. Green will outline the environmental damage caused by natural oil and gas seep pollution in the Santa Barbara Channel and the economic impact from the unrealized revenue that basically washes away every day.  She will also summarize current knowledge surrounding the potential benefits of developing the offshore oil and gas reserves, referencing the fact-based research in the SOS California Supporting Documentation provided to the committee. Topics will include: How peer-reviewed studies have proven that extraction of oil and gas resources is responsible for reductions in coastal oil seepage pollution, resulting in cleaner beaches and cleaner air in Central California How exploration and production of offshore reserves can be conducted in an environmentally safe manner A forecast that by 2020 California will be importing 80% of its oil from foreign sources How expanded offshore production in California would dramatically reduce the impact of oil imports and oil tanker transportation in California waters A 2013 study by the California Economic Forecast which outlines how permanently lifting the moratoria and allowing production in state and federal waters offshore California would produce broad economic benefits including more than 100,000 high-paying technical new jobs How potential new offshore oil and gas royalty revenues can fund the transition to a renewable energy infrastructure Testimony and Supporting Documentation will also provide information on energy projects proposed for the OCS and state waters along the Santa Barbara County coast. CONTACT: Judy Rossiter 805.969.9259 SOS California is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of natural gas and oil seep pollution upon our ocean, our beaches and our air quality through education and awareness. SOScalifornia.org Blog: California Oil