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DATE: March 19, 2018
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: John C. Brown, City Manag
Agenda Item #3.B
SUBJECT: Resolution Supporting a Ban on Offshore Drilling, Exploration, and Fracking
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended the City Council adopt the attached resolution supporting a ban on offshore
drilling, exploration, and fracking.
BACKGROUND
On April 28, 2017, President Trump signed Executive Order 13795 Implementing an America -First
Offshore Energy Strategy to ensure energy security and economic vitality to meet the energy needs
of American families and businesses by increasing domestic energy production on federal lands and
waters and reducing reliance on imported energy. The policy encourages energy exploration and
production, including on the Outer Continental Shelf, revises schedules of proposed oil and gas
lease sales; implements a streamlined approach for privately funded seismic data research and
collection to determine offshore energy resource potential; and refrains from designating or
expanding any National Marine Sanctuary unless energy or mineral resource potential has been
identified, including offshore energy from wind, oil, natural gas, etc., and the impact any expansion
will have on the development of those resources.
DISCUSSION
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is opposed to oil and gas drilling in federal and state waters off the
California coast and has appealed to state leaders and all County supervisors to pass resolutions
opposing new offshore drilling development and any new oil and gas leases off the California coast.
She is now encouraging support from California cities and coastal communities. The attached
resolution provides a rationale for opposing off -shore drilling, exploration, and fracking, and
expresses the City Council's support for a ban on these activities, should the Council determine to
adopt it.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The only cost associated with this item was the staff time required to prepare and process it.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution
2. Email request from Senator Feinstein's office and Press Release
3. Presidential Executive Order 13795: Implementingan America -First Offshore Energy
Strategy
ATTACHMENT I
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING A BAN ON OFFSHORE DRILLING,
EXPLORATION, AND FRACKING
WHEREAS, the City of Petaluma and its visitors enjoy California's beaches and the
Pacific Ocean for recreational, commercial, and educational activities, all of which support our
local economy; and
WHEREAS, offshore oil and gas drilling, and exploration off the Pacific coast, put these
coastal resources, and the communities and industries that depend on them, at risk from oil spills
and other damage; and
WHEREAS, expanding offshore oil and gas drilling, fracking and other well stimulation
techniques threatens coastal stakeholders, marine wildlife, human health, and climate; and
WHEREAS, a massive oil spill in 1969 off the coast of Santa Barbara fouled coastal
waters, causing catastrophic economic and environmental damage while in 2015, a pipeline
servicing offshore oil platforms burst and fouled the same coastal areas, damaging wildlife and
impacting recreational and commercial activities; and
WHEREAS, hydraulic fracturing and other unconventional oil extraction techniques
collectively referred to as "fracking and other well stimulation" provide another means to expand
offshore oil and gas extraction off California's coast, increasing pollution and the risk of oil
spills and earthquakes; and
WHEREAS, the offshore oil industry is permitted to dump more than 9 billion gallons of
wastewater into the Pacific every year that can harm human health and wildlife; and
WHEREAS, the State of California prohibits new oil and gas leasing in state waters due
to the unacceptable high risk of damage and disruption to the marine environment; and
WHEREAS, the Governor of California, the Attorney General, the State Senate, and the
State Lands Commission have taken a stand against new federal offshore oil and gas leases in the
Pacific Ocean, and several municipalities have called for a ban on offshore fracking; and
WHEREAS, expanding offshore drilling, fracking and other well stimulation off the
California coast will deepen the state's dependence on fossil fuels and undermine its efforts to
address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving toward renewable
energy. .
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of
Petaluma does hereby support a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling, fracking, and other well
stimulation.in federal and state waters off the California coast, and a ban on new federal oil and
gas leasing in all federal waters, including off the coast of California.
2
ATTACHMENT 2
From: Cheng, Jeanette (Feinstein) <Jeanette_Cheng@feinstein.senate.gov>
Sent: Friday, March 02; 2018 4:16 PM
To: citymg r
Subject: Offshore Oil Drilling Resolution
Good afternoon, Mr. Brown.
I am writing to follow up a call we received earlier this week regarding offshore oil drilling. As you know, Senator
Feinstein wants to make sure that our coastal communities and oceans are protected from the devastating effects of
offshore oil drilling. She opposed the Trump Administration's plans to expand and open new offshore oil leases off the
California coasts. Recently, she asked all 58 county board of supervisors to provide a resolution to oppose offshore oil
drilling. We have seen a great response from coastal communities and would also appreciate support from cities. Please
join the fight to make sure our coast remains free from offshore drilling.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Jeanette Cheng
Field Representative
Office of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
Los Angeles, CA 1 (310) 914-7300
Email: Jeanette cheng@feinstein.senate.gov
Website I Twitter I Facebook I YouTube
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Feinstein to County Supervisors: Join the Fight Against Trump's Offshore Oil Drilling Pr... Page 1 of 3
PRESS RELEASES
Home (/public/index.cfm/home) / News Room (/public/index.cfm/news-room)
/ Press Releases (/public/index.cfm/press-releases)
Feinstein to County Supervisors: Join the
Fight Against Trump's Offshore Oil
Drilling Proposal
(/public/index.cfm/press-releases?
ID=CFEBB541-51E4-4F76-8746-
6BB03F1E53FE)
Jan 10 2018
Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D -Calif.) called on all county boards
of supervisors in California to pass a resolution opposing the Trump
administration's proposal to sell new leases for offshore oil drilling in
federal waters along the coast of California.
The Trump administration proposed last week allowing offshore drilling in
nearly all U.S. waters, including six new lease proposals for the California
coastline.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced yesterday that.Florida was being
removed from consideration due to resistance from state officials, similar to
California's historic opposition to offshore drilling. California banned new
offshore drilling leases in state waters in 1969 and there have been no new
eases in federal waters since 1984.
"A resolution to disapprove of new offshore drilling leases will send a
clear, united message to the Trump administration that Californians value
the well-being of our coastal community environments and expect
https://NvwNv.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=CFEBB541-51 E4-4.... 2/28/2018
Feinstein to County Supervisors: Join the Fight Against Trump's Offshore Oil Drilling Pr... Page 2 of 3
relentless protection," Senator Feinstein. wrote. "As Californians, we must
stand together to ensure that our coast is not subject to new offshore oil
and gas drilling projects."
Full text of the letter fol lows:
January 9, 2018
Dear Board of Supervisors:
California knows all too well the environmental havoc created by offshore
drilling. In 1969, we witnessed the devastation that Santa Barbara
experienced when 3 million gallons of offshore crude oil spilled along one of
the nation's most beautiful and biodiverse coastlines, killing thousands of
birds, fish and marine mammals. Just three years ago, offshore oil drilling
plagued Santa Barbara again when a pipeline spilled more than 100,000
gallons of crude oil onto the Refugio State Beach, leaking into the Pacific
Ocean's ecosystem.
Our coastal communities once again face serious risk. Last week, the Trump
administration announced plans to open nearly all federal coastal waters to
new offshore oil and gas drilling, including the entire California coast. Our
state waters have been off-limits to new oil drilling since 1969, and the last
lease sale in federal waters offshore was in 1984. 1 ask you to join me in
fighting this reckless and unnecessary plan every step of the way.
We must demonstrate uniform resolve to defend our coastline and protect
the health of our communities and coastal economies. Therefore, I request
your county Board of Supervisors pass a formal resolution opposing new
offshore drilling development and object to any new oil and gas leases off
the California coast. I am sending this same letter to your colleagues on
each of California's 58 County Boards of Supervisors.
A resolution to disapprove of new offshore drilling leases will send a clear,
united message to the Trump administration that Californians value the
well-being of our coastal community environments and expect relentless
protection. As Californians, we must stand together to ensure that our
https://ww�v.feiiisteiii.seiiate.gov/public/iiidex.cfin/press-releases?ID=CFEBB541-51 E44... 2/28/2018
Feinstein to County Supervisors: Join the Fight Against Trump's Offshore Oil Drilling Pr... Page 3 of 3
coast is not subject to new offshore oil and gas drilling projects. I look
forward to working with you to protect and preserve our beloved coastline.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office at
(415) 393-0707.
Sincerely,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfin/press-releases?ID=CFEBB541-5 l E4-4... 2/28/2018
ATTACHMENT 3
Federal Register Presidential Documents
Vol. 82, No, 84
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Executive Order 13795 of April 28, 2017
Implementing an America -First Offshore Energy Strategy
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the
laws of the United States of America, including the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., and in order to maintain global leadership
in energy innovation, exploration, and production, it is hereby ordered as
follows:
Section 1. Findings. America must put the energy needs of American families
and businesses first and continue implementing a plan that ensures energy
security and economic vitality for decades to come. The energy and minerals
produced from lands and waters under Federal management are important
to a vibrant economy and to our national security. Increased domestic energy
production on Federal lands and waters strengthens the Nation's security
and reduces reliance on imported energy. Moreover, low energy prices,
driven by an increased American energy supply, will benefit American
families and help reinvigorate American manufacturing and job growth.
Finally, because the Department of Defense is one of the largest consumers
of energy in the United States, domestic energy production also improves
our Nation's military readiness.
Sec. 2. Policy. It shall be the policy of the United States to encourage
energy exploration and production, including on the Outer Continental Shelf,
in order to maintain the Nation's position as a global energy leader and
foster energy security and resilience for the benefit of the American people,
while ensuring that any such activity is safe and environmentally responsible.
Sec. 3. Implementing an America -First Offshore Energy Strategy. To carry
out the policy set forth in section 2 of this order, the Secretary of the
Interior shall:
(a) as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, including the proce-
dures set forth in section 1344 of title 43, United States Code, in consultation
with the Secretary of Defense, give full consideration to revising the schedule
of proposed oil and gas lease sales, as described in that section, so that
it includes, but is not limited to, annual lease sales, to the maximum
extent permitted by law, in each of the following Outer Continental Shelf
Planning Areas, as designated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
(BOEM) (Planning Areas): Western Gulf of Mexico, Central Gulf of Mexico,
Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, Cook Inlet, Mid -Atlantic, and South Atlantic;
(b) ensure that any revisions made pursuant to subsection (a) of this
section do not hinder or affect ongoing lease sales currently scheduled
as part of the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing
Proposed Final Program, as published on November 18, 2016; and
(c) develop and implement, in coordination with the Secretary of Com-
merce and to the maximum extent permitted by law, a streamlined permitting
approach for privately funded seismic data research and collection aimed
at expeditiously determining the offshore energy resource potential of the
United States within the Planning Areas.
Sec. 4. Responsible Planning for Future Offshore Energy Potential. (a) The
Secretary of Commerce shall, unless expressly required otherwise, refrain
from designating or expanding any National Marine Sanctuary under the
National Marine Sanctuaries Act, 16 U.S.C, 1431 et seq., unless the sanctuary
designation or expansion proposal includes a timely, full accounting from
the Department of the Interior of any energy or mineral resource potential
20816 Federal Register/Vol. 82, No. 84/Wednesday, May 3, 2017 /Presidential Documents
within the designated area—including offshore energy from wind, oil, natural
gas, methane hydrates, and any other sources that the Secretary of Commerce
deems appropriate—and. the potential impact the proposed designation or
expansion will have on the development of those resources. The Secretary
of the Interior shall provide any such accounting within 60 days of receiving
a notification of intent to propose any such National Marine Sanctuary
designation or expansion from the Secretary of Commerce.
(b) The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of
Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Homeland Security,
shall conduct a review of all designations and expansions of National Marine
Sanctuaries, and of all designations and expansions of Marine National
Monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906, recently recodified at sections
320301 to 320303 of title 54, United States Code, designated or expanded
within the 10 -year period prior to the date of this order.
(i) The review under this subsection shall include:
(A) an analysis of the acreage affected and an analysis of the budgetary
impacts of the costs of managing each National Marine Sanctuary or
Marine National Monument designation or expansion;
(B) an analysis of the adequacy of any required Federal, State, and
tribal consultations conducted before the designations or expansions; and
(C) the opportunity costs associated with potential energy and mineral
exploration and production from the Outer Continental Shelf, in addition
to any impacts on production in the adjacent region.
(ii) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce,
in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the
Interior, shall report the results of the review under this subsection to
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Chairman of
the Council on Environmental Quality, and the Assistant to the President
for Economic Policy.
(c) To further streamline existing regulatory authorities, Executive Order
13754 of December 9, 2016 (Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience), is
hereby revoked.
Sec. 5. Modification of the Withdrawal of Areas of the Outer Continental
Shelf from Leasing Disposition. The body text in each of the memoranda
of withdrawal from disposition by leasing of the United States Outer Conti-
nental Shelf issued on December 20, 2016, January 27, 2015, and July
14, 2008, is modified to read, in its entirety, as follows:
"Under the authority vested in me as President of the United States,
including section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, 43 U.S.C.
1341(a), I hereby withdraw from disposition by leasing, for a time period
without specific expiration, those areas of the Outer Continental Shelf des-
ignated as of July 14, 2008, as Marine Sanctuaries under the Marine Protec-
tion, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, 16 U.S.C. 1431-1434, 33 U.S.C.
1401 et seq."
Nothing in the withdrawal under this section affects any rights under
existing leases in the affected areas.
Sec. 6. Reconsideration of Notice to Lessees and Financial Assurance Regu-
latory Review. The Secretary of the Interior shall direct the Director of
BOEM to take all necessary steps consistent with law to review BOEM's
Notice to Lessees No. 2016–N01 of September 12, 2016 (Notice to Lessees
and Operators of Federal Oil and Gas, and Sulfur Leases, and Holders
of Pipeline Right -of -Way and Right -of -Use and Easement Grants in the Outer
Continental Shelf), and determine whether modifications are necessary, and
if so, to what extent, to ensure operator compliance with lease terms while
minimizing unnecessary regulatory burdens. The Secretary of the Interior
shall also review BOEM's financial assurance regulatory policy to determine
the extent to which additional regulation is necessary.
Sec. 7. Reconsideration of Well Control Rule. The Secretary of the Interior
shall revieNv the Final Rule of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Federal Register/Vol. 82, No. 84/Wednesday, May 3, 2017 /Presidential Documents 20817
Enforcement (BSEE) entitled "Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations in the
Outer Continental Shelf -Blowout Preventer Systems and Well Control," 81
Fed. Reg. 25888 (April 29, 2016), for consistency with the policy set forth
in section 2 of this order, and shall publish for notice and comment a
proposed rule revising that rule, if appropriate and as consistent with law.
The Secretary of the Interior shall also take all appropriate action to lawfully
revise any related rules and guidance for consistency with the policy set
forth in section 2 of this order. Additionally, the Secretary of the Interior
shall review BSEE's regulatory regime for offshore operators to determine
the extent to which additional regulation is necessary.
Sec. 8. Reconsideration of Proposed Offshore Air Rule. The Secretary of
the Interior shall take all steps necessary to review BOEM's Proposed Rule
entitled "Air Quality Control, Reporting, and Compliance," 81 Fed, Reg.
19718 (April 5, 2016), along with any related rules and guidance, and,
if appropriate, shall, as soon as practicable and consistent with law, consider
whether the proposed rule, and any related rules and guidance, should
be revised or withdrawn.
Sec. 9. Expedited Consideration of Incidental Harassment Authorizations,
Incidental -Take, and Seismic Survey Permits. The Secretary of the Interior
and the Secretary of Commerce shall, to the maximum extent permitted
by law, expedite all stages of consideration of Incidental Take Authorization
requests, including Incidental Harassment Authorizations and Letters of Au-
thorization, and Seismic Survey permit applications under the Outer Conti-
nental Shelf Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., and the Marine Mammal
Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.
Sec. 10. Review of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Technical Memorandum NMFS–OPR-55. The Secretary of Commerce
shall review NOAA's Technical Memorandum NMFS–OPR-55 of July 2016
(Technical Guidance for Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Sound on
Marine Mammal Hearing) for consistency with the policy set forth in section
2 of this order and, after consultation with the appropriate Federal agencies,
take all steps permitted by law to rescind or revise that guidance, if appro-
priate.
Sec. 11. Review of Offshore Arctic Drilling Rule. The Secretary of the Interior
shall immediately take all steps necessary to review the Final Rule entitled
"Oil and Gas and Sulfur Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf -Require-
ments for Exploratory Drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf," 81
Fed. Reg. 46478 (July 15, 2016), and, if appropriate, shall, as soon as prac-
ticable and consistent with law, publish for notice and comment a proposed
rule suspending, revising, or rescinding this rule.
Sec. 12. Definition. As used in this order, "Outer Continental Shelf Planning
Areas, as designated by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management" means
those areas delineated in the diagrams on pages S-5 and S-8 of the 2017-
2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program,
as published by the BOEM in January 2015, with the exception of any
buffer zones included in such planning documents.
Sec. 13. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed
to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency,
or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and
subject to the availability of appropriations.
20818 Federal Register/Vol. 82, No. 84/Wednesday, May 3, 2017/ Presidential Documents
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit,
substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party
against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers,
employees, or agents, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
April 28, 2017.
[FR Doc. 2017-09087
Filed 5-2-17; 11;15 am)
Billing code 3295—F7—P