SLO County had 2 chances to oppose Trump’s offshore oil plan. Instead, it did nothing

Twice on Tuesday the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors had an opportunity to send a message to the federal government that the Central Coast should be closed to offshore oil and gas development. And twice, it did nothing.

Two proposals from Supervisor Bruce Gibson failed to gain support from other board members.

“California has real power to block offshore oil through our authority over state waters. Every coastal county should be helping support that effort — ours is not. We should be worried,” Gibson said in a Facebook post.

He first proposed that the Board write a resolution as a public comment to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to signify its opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to open 90 percent of the nation’s offshore oil and gas reserves for future possible exploration.

His motion was in response to a handful of public comments, including from members of the Surfrider Foundation, that asked the Board to take action.

His motion died without the support of a second supervisor.

Later, during a discussion about state legislative priorities, he proposed that the Board support legislation and actions by state agencies to block activities that support oil development in federal offshore areas. Again, the motion died without support.

That support would have had to come from supervisors Debbie Arnold or Lynn Compton, as Board Chairman John Peschong recused himself from the discussion because he has taken money from energy companies. Supervisor Adam Hill was out sick.

This story was originally published February 6, 2018 at 6:56 PM with the headline "SLO County had 2 chances to oppose Trump’s offshore oil plan. Instead, it did nothing."