Press archive 2010

Carpinteria Bluffs.  Photo by Erin Feinblatt.

November 22, 2010
'No Otter Zone' Could Be No More
Legal Settlement Requires U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Review 1987 Policy Prohibiting Threatened Southern Sea Otters From Their Native Southern California Habitat

November 19, 2010
Lawsuit Filed to Preserve Prime Farmland in Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County Action Network Challenges Lompoc General Plan Update Opening Door to Large-Scale Urban Development of Prime Agricultural Land on City's Western Boundary

November 16, 2010
Environmental Groups Celebrate Withdraw of Oil Drilling Application: Venoco Withdraws Ellwood Full Field Development Project

October 12, 2010
Coast Guard Urged to Protect Whales Within Santa Barbara Channel--Hearings in Oxnard and LA Provide Public With Opportunity to Speak Out for Whales

August 24, 2010
Environmentalists Address Oil Safety Concerns: Urge Transition to Clean Energy

August 11, 2010
Environmental Defense Center to Host 1st Annual "Ride on the Wild Side." A bike ride to benefit the Environmental Defense Center and explore iconic natural places EDC has helped protect.

July 22, 2010
Court of Appeals Accepts Amicus Curiae Brief from Four Local Organizations Who Assert That Venoco's Measure J Was an Unconstitutional and Illegal Abuse of the Voter Initiative--Groups File Brief in Support of the City of Carpinteria

May 12, 2010
Conservation and Environmental Justice Groups Call for Action on Agricultural Water Quality Issues
Viable sustainable agriculture is key to the economic and environmental sustainability of the Central Coast, but there is a dark side to farming: our streams and drinking water are polluted by run-off containing fertilizers, pesticides and excess sediment.

May 6, 2010
Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Sea Otter Protection. Court holds that government has duty to decide whether southern California "no otter zone" should be abolished.

May 3, 2010
Response to Governor's Withdrawal of Support for Tranquillon Ridge Plan to End Offshore Oil
We are very surprised and disappointed to learn that the Governor has withdrawn his support for the Tranquillon Ridge Plan, which would have ended existing oil drilling operations offshore Santa Barbara County.

April 7, 2010
New Plan Unveiled to End Existing Oil Drilling Offshore Santa Barbara County
Congresswoman Lois Capps, Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal, and
Santa Barbara City Mayor Helene Schneider joined the Environmental Defense Center (EDC), Get Oil Out!
(GOO!), Citizens Planning Association of Santa Barbara (CPA) and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) in supporting
the new 2010 Tranquillon Ridge Plan that will end existing oil drilling offshore Santa Barbara County.

April 7, 2010
Whale of an Opportunity: Conservation Groups Urge Coast Guard to Ensure Protection of Whales in New Study of Shipping Access Routes into LA/LB Ports
In response to the Coast Guard’s announcement in today’s Federal Register that it is conducting a new Port Access Route Study to consider modifying existing shipping lanes through the Santa Barbara Channel into the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports, conservation organizations urged the agency to ensure that any measures it ultimately enacts provide full protection to endangered whales, including blue, fin, humpback, and orca whales, from the threat of ship strikes.

April 1, 2010
Environmental Groups Call for Decisive ACtion on Agricultural Water Quality Issues
From "America's Salad Bowl" in the Salinas Valley to the Santa Barbara Pinot Noir vineyards made famous by the movie "Sideways," the rich soils of the Central Coast region are some of the most intensively cultivated in our nation. Viable agriculture is key to the economic and environmental sustainability of the Central Coast, but there is a dark side to farming: our waters are polluted by run-off containing fertilizers, pesticides and excess sediment.

March 31, 2010
Federal Oil Lease Plan Protects the California Coast
Despite concerns about expanded oil drilling in other regions, environmental groups in Santa Barbara were pleased to learn today that Secretary of the Interior Salazar announced recission of President Bush's Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2010-2015. The Bush 2010-2015 Leasing Program opened several new areas to oil and gas leasing offshore Santa Barbara County including the Santa Maria Basin and the entire Santa Barbara Channel.

March 17, 2010
EDC Brings Topic of Ocean Acidification to Local and National Spotlight
A Little over a year ago EDC launched an effort to bring both local and national attention to the emerging topic of ocean acidification. EDC's hopes were recently realized when all thirteen National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Councils took action recognizing ocean acidification as a significant long term threat to the conservation of marine resources.

March 16, 2010
Local Groups Claim Victory at End of LNG Project: Clearwater Port application terminated after company fails to submit required information to permitting agencies
The EDC and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper celebrated today after learning that the application for NorthernStar's Clearport Liquefied Natural Gas project was reminated by the CA State Lands Commission.

January 8, 2010
Environmentalist Support State Reconsideration of Plan to End Oil: Governor's Budget Proposal Would Preserve Existing Requirement for State Lands Commission Approval of Tranquillon Ridge Proposal
The Environmental Defense Center was joined by other environmental groups in supporting reconsideration of the Tranquillon Ridge proposal by the California State Lands Commission.