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July 13, 2005 - For Immediate
Release Contact: LPFW
Public Relations, 805-252-4277
Shannon Lohrmann, 202-226-7747
CAPPS REINTRODUCES LEGISLATION
TO
BAN DRILLING IN LOS PADRES
The Bill Comes Just Days Before
Oil Drilling Expands
Into New Areas of the National Forest
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – Congresswoman Lois Capps today announced the
reintroduction of the Los Padres National Forest Conservation
Act, which would permanently ban new oil and gas development in
the Forest.
“The Bush
Administration seems to have every intention of endangering our
spectacular forest by opening up additional lands in Los Padres
to new oil and gas exploration,” Capps said. “We are truly lucky
to live among one of the most pristine and wild natural forests
in the nation. We must live up to our responsibility to preserve
and protect the forest for generations to come by eliminating
the risk of environmental and economic ruin that could result
from more drilling.”
The
Administration and the U.S. Forest Service are targeting vast
portions of the Los Padres National Forest for new oil and gas
drilling. Currently, 15,000 acres of forestland in Los Padres
are open to oil and gas development.
The agency's
decision threatens some of the most sensitive lands in the
forest. Proposed new drilling areas are located immediately
alongside the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, the Hopper Mountain
National Wildlife Refuge, four Congressionally-designated
Wilderness Areas, and the Sespe Wild & Scenic River. Also
threatened are tens of thousands of pristine roadless areas that
provide scenic vistas, clean water, and vital habitat for many
threatened and endangered species, including the California
condor.
“Here in
Santa Barbara County we are blessed to have a national treasure
such as the Los Padres National Forest in our backyard,”
Supervisor Salud Carbajal said. “Our community and the nation as
a whole benefit greatly from the resource protection and
recreational opportunities that are provided within the
forest. I believe it is more important than ever that we stand
up to efforts to allow new oil exploration within this special
place. I want to thank Congresswoman Capps for introducing
legislation to prohibit new oil and gas development in these
sensitive areas and I look forward to continuing to partner with
her in working to protect this environmentally sensitive area.”
“We simply
cannot afford to open up vast areas of our national forest to
oil drilling,” Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres
ForestWatch, said. “This legislation is critical to protect our
communities' clean drinking water, recreation, wilderness values
and sensitive habitats.”
“Our national
forests are public treasures that must be protected against
dangerous and polluting activities by private corporations,”
stated Linda Krop, Chief Counsel for the Environmental Defense
Center, a public interest law firm headquartered in Santa
Barbara, California. “Allowing oil and gas development in the
Los Padres National Forest would introduce air, noise and water
pollution, as well as the risk of oil spills, into an area
prized for its unique recreational, scenic and ecological
value.”
Capps has
written to the Administration twice during its decision-making
process, advocating that it not allow new oil and gas
exploration in Los Padres National Forest. The Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is expected from the U.S.
Forest Service this month.
“The people
of the Central Coast consider their environmental resources to
be long-term investments in preserving their quality of life,”
Capps said. “Make no mistake, new drilling in the Los Padres
National Forest could devastate our beautiful landscape and our
economic vitality. Additional drilling would destroy two-thirds
of oak woodlands in the forest and damage fragile habitat for
the California condor and other precious endangered and
threatened species. In a region that thrives on tourism, we
simply cannot risk a potential oil disaster that would drive
away our visitors.”
Capps
introduced the Los Padres National Forest Conservation Act with
U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-Salinas). The bill is HR 3149.
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