The Huntington Beach City Council could voice support for a permanent ban on offshore drilling at its meeting Tuesday night. The item was brought forward by Mayor Kim Carr and Councilwoman Natalie Moser after the oil spill earlier this month.
U.S. Coast Guard officials have said the spill was close to 25,000 gallons, which is much lower than initial estimates. The council declared a local emergency on Oct. 4.
City Spokesperson Jennifer Carey said Huntington Beach earns just $632,000 from oil well license taxes and pipeline franchise fees per year. That’s less than 1% of the general fund budget.
“I think maybe at one time, it served its purpose,” Carr said, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times. “But the city, our economy and our lifestyles when it comes to renewable energy, all of that has shifted over the last 30 or 40 years. These really don’t make any sense anymore. They’ve served their purpose, and now it’s time to move forward and move in a new direction.”
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