Santa Barbara County Votes to Phase Out Oil Drilling

A major step toward protecting community health, air, water, and climate

Thanks to your support, on Tuesday, May 13, the County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors voted to direct county staff to develop an oil phaseout ordinance. More than two dozen community members attended in-person or virtually to provide public comment, mostly in support of ending oil drilling and phasing out existing wells. The Community Environmental Council (CEC) partnered with the Sierra Club Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter, the Environmental Defense Center, Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG) and more than 50 other organizations on this call to action.

“This phaseout is consistent with the county’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and with the county’s adopted Climate Action Plan, which states an intention to develop a sunset strategy for fossil fuels,” said Sigrid Wright, CEC’s CEO/Executive Director. Noting that the phaseout is also in step with the public’s desire, Wright submitted more than 500 support postcards that CEC and other local organizations collected from the community.

The Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 to direct staff to come back in October with a timeline and budget for an amortization study, Environmental Impact Report, and process for drafting a phaseout ordinance. Stay tuned for the next opportunity to influence this important policy item.

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