From this morning's Houston Chronicle, via the Associated Press:
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Months after making national headlines for supporting offshore oil drilling, the county famous for spawning the modern environmental movement reversed course Tuesday and voted to oppose the drilling.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, citing a need to preserve its coastline, voted 3-2 for a resolution to oppose oil exploration and extraction in the county.
The resolution, which will be sent to President Barack Obama and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is largely symbolic because the board lacks authority to allow or prevent drilling. However, drilling critics said the vote was timely because the Department of Interior is scheduled to discuss oil and gas leasing next week.
...
For nearly three decades, the federal Outer Continental Shelf off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the eastern Gulf of Mexico were protected by a drilling ban. Then last year, with gas prices at record levels, Congress and the Bush administration lifted the bans on expanding offshore drilling, although production would take years to begin.
That's just rich. These damn leftists call on the rest of us to "share the sacrifice" or whatnot as they plunder the fruits of our labor to finance their nanny-state reindeer games and buy more votes, but when it comes to pitching in themselves they start squealing like the pigs they think the rest of us are. You know what would be great? If the people who support things like this had to pay the price for such. If these people are going to say "No drilling here," then they should be cut off from the domestic oil supply. There is no legitimate reason for the eastern Gulf of Mexico to be the only part of the oceans subject to exploration or drilling. I think the development of alternative energy sources can be nothing but a good thing, but in the meantime we need to be taking advantage of available energy sources. And for those with that NIMBY attitude...well, let them freeze. Or stew in their own juices, depending on where they are. I'm sure the oil companies would never forego those profits, but it sure would be nice.
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