Spring 2002 EDC Board of Directors Lisa Nessel, President Larry Rogero, Vice Pres
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EDC works with citizen groups on Central Coast environmental issues such as protecting water quality, preserving open spaces, saving species from extinction and guarding public health. Environmental Defender a newsletter of the Environmental Defense Center EDC Responds to Threat sanctuaries. Indeed, the 1969 oil spill taught us of More Oil Drilling that oil spills do not recognize political bound- Oil Off Our Coast aries and that Californians should have the right 1 n February 8, EDC took the next step to determine the future of their coast. in efforts to ensure that Califor- Opposition to oil development continues Onia has a say in the future of oil and to rank high among Californian’s environmen- gas development off its coast. EDC filed an ap- tal concerns, as reflected by Senator Barbara About EDC peal brief on behalf of eight local and statewide Boxer’s recent statements asking the federal gov- 2 groups regarding 36 existing federal offshore oil ernment to drop its appeal. Congresswoman leases off the coast of Santa Barbara and San Lois Capps submitted a Congressional amicus Luis Obispo Counties. EDC’s brief is in re- brief, or ‘Friends of the Court’ statement, signed sponse to the federal government’s appeal of a by all California Democratic representatives in Species & Habitat recent ruling that granted California the right opposition to the appeal. CALPIRG has also 3 to review the leases for their potential impacts collected over 10,000 letters and postcards from to California’s coastline. California citizens supporting the state’s right In November 1999, the federal government to review the leases. extended the life of all 36 oil leases, without The EDC represents CALPIRG, the Sierra Protecting Children consulting with the State of California. Many Club, Friends of the Sea Otter, California 4 of these leases are over twenty years old and were CoastKeeper, Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper, not subject to any kind of formal state review. Santa Monica BayKeeper, Get Oil Out and Citi- In response, the State, under pressure by EDC, zens Planning Association in the current law- suit. Natural Resources Defense Council, on Sandpiper filed a lawsuit against the federal government. and Halaco In June of 2001, in a victory for environmental behalf of themselves and League for Coastal Pro- 5 groups, a federal district court judge ruled that tection, are also involved in the suit, as are the the federal government must cancel its exten- Counties of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. sion of the leases until the state can review them. The decision Local Heroes effectively put a halt to future 6 oil exploration and develop- ment plans in the Santa Barbara Channel. However, the federal gov- Support EDC ernment appealed the decision, 7 claiming that because the leases are found in federal waters, California has no right to review them for potential impacts to Events California’s resources, which in- 8 clude air and water pollution, impacts from oil spills, harm to sensitive species and effects on the two adjacent national marine Oil rigs in the Santa Barbara Channel Environmental Defense Center • Spring 2002 EDC Board of Directors Lisa Nessel, President Larry Rogero, Vice Pres. & Treasurer Anna Bass, Secretary Jon Clark Alyssa Firmin David Hayes-Bautista Sharyn Main Scott Weiss EDC Advisory Board David H. Anderson Michael Behrman, M.D. Lillian Lovelace Message from Armando Y. Armando Nieto, Executive Director Herman Warsh n behalf of everyone at the Envi- year each of us is personally challenged to par- EDC Staff ronmental Defense Center, thank ticipate in shaping the kind of world in which Y. Armando Nieto, Executive Director Linda Krop, Chief Counsel Oyou for seeing us into our 25th year we want to live. This includes defining the direc- John T. Buse, Senior Staff Attorney of service on California’s Central Coast. tion our communities take with regard to envi- Eric Cárdenas, Program Coordinator Our 25th Anniversary Celebration will ronmental stewardship and protections. Vicki Clark, Staff Attorney Katie Donovan, Office Coordinator continue all year long, with opportunities for In coming months, the nation’s attention will Jenna Garmon, Community Affairs Director you to participate throughout the tri-counties. focus on the waters off the Central Coast in a Tanya Gulesserian, Staff Attorney Activities began with a Ventura County dinner showdown to determine what cost we as a people Juliette Harding, Bookkeeper Gordon Hensley, Environmental Analyst to honor Ed Masry and Erin Brockovich (see are willing to pay for gas and oil development. Maria Marquez, Program Coordinator story on page 6) for their contributions to en- We will also have ample opportunities to voice Babak Naficy, Staff Attorney support for plans that preserve agriculture, the Jennifer Oetken, Database Manager vironmental awareness, and continue with Lori Schiraga, CCEHP Project Director Earth Day Celebrations on April 13th in Ox- public’s health, natural resources and open space, Brian Trautwein, Environmental Analyst nard, April 21st in Santa Barbara’s sunken gar- while rejecting the rhetoric and partisan Steve Velyvis, Staff Attorney Alana Walczak, Assistant Director dens, and April 28th at CalPoly in SLO. By squabbles that we can no longer afford. Because J. Marc McGinnes, Of Counsel the time our next newsletter is published, the of rapidly evolving events of the past few months, TGIF season in all three counties will be well for many of us, this is the year we come of age as EDC Law Clerks and Interns Emily Pack underway, and the Santa Barbara Summer Auc- members of the human community. It is time Athena Sojourner-Nelson tion will have taken place, honoring a local ac- act accordingly. Kirsten White tivist, business, public leader and member of At EDC we look forward to another 25 years philanthropy. We hope you will take time to of service, from this corner of the world in which join with us. we are blessed to live. We begin each day, hand But much as we must make time to cel- outstretched in partnership with those commit- ebrate, 2002 is more than one long party sea- ted to working for the public good. son. We are living in momentous times. It is impossible to ignore the fact that in this new Santa Barbara Office 906 Garden Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Phone: (805) 963-1622 Fax: (805) 962-3152 EDC Staff News Email: [email protected] DC welcomes new Santa Barbara Office coorinator Katie Donovan and Program Manager Ventura Office 2021 Sperry Avenue, Suite 18 Maria Marquez. and we bid a fond farewell to Vicki Clark, who is leaving EDC to join Ventura, CA 93003 Lawyers for clean Phone: (805) 677-2570 E Fax: (805) 677-2577 Water. Thankfully we will Email: [email protected] still be working with Vicki on some cases and San Luis Obispo Office 864 Osos Street, #A sharing an office with her San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 in Ventura. Phone: (805) 781-9932 Fax: (805) 781-9384 Left to right: Email: [email protected] Maria Marquez, Katie Website: www.edcnet.org Donovan, Vicki Clark Page 2 • Spring 2002 • Environmental Defense Center Protecting Threateaned Species at Oceano Dunes or years, the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) has been man- Action Alerts aged exclusively to accommodate millions of off-road vehicles annually, destroying resources and threatening multiple ‘at risk’ species including the Western Snowy Plover, Cali- F Oceano Dunes fornia Least Tern, Steelhead Trout, Red Legged Frog, Marsh Sandworth, Gamble’s watercress and Informational Meeting La Graciosa thistle. Learn About EDC represents the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club in efforts to ensure that the Califor- the Dunes and nia Parks Department protects the endangered species and sensitive habitat at the Oceano Dunes. watch the video Easing the Throttle So far, our work has resulted in additional scrutiny of the Park by the California Coastal Commis- Wednesday, April 17 sion and the filing of a lawsuit against ODSVRA for violations of the Endangered Species Act. 6:30 p.m. Unfortunately, while State Parks has engaged in a campaign of meetings, committees, and public Meadow Park Rec Center assembly room relations, they have done nothing to save the battered Oceano Dunes environment. In May in Santa Rosa, the Coastal Commission will review the conditions under which ODSVRA Contact Your will be required to operate in order to comply with the California Coastal Act. Off-Highway Vehicle Elected Officials advocates have been pressuring the Governor and legislature to oppose any restrictions at the Park. Governor Gray Davis State Capitol Building It’s time for people who care about the plight of species and habitat at the Dunes to also weigh in. Sacramento, CA 95814 Please tell your elected representatives that Oceano Dunes is an asset to our Coast with a value that Phone: (916) 445-2841 greatly exceeds exclusive use limited to the special interest of Off-Highway Vehicles. Please write Fax: (916) 445-4633 [email protected] letters to Governor Gray Davis, State Senator John Burton, and Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, Jr. (contact information at right) and consider traveling to Santa Rosa in May to show your support. State Senator John Burton Call EDC at (805) 781-9932 for more information. State Capitol Room 205 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 445-1412 Herb Wesson, Jr. Speaker of the Assembly State Capitol P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0001 Phone: (916) 319-2047 Fax: (916) 319-2147 assemblymember.wesson@ assembly.ca.gov EDC Joins Suit to Protect Habitat for Nearly Extinct Fish April 9th Oak Protection Hearing DC, representing Friends of the Santa the proposed site for the Newhall Ranch Santa Barbara County Clara River, joined the Center for development in Los Angeles, and another Board of Supervisors Biological Diversity in a lawsuit on in San Antonio Creek in Santa Barbara Bettteravia Gov’t Center E 10:30 a.m.