No offshore oil drilling

Supervisor Jim Desmond

5th District

Last week, I got a call that I knew was a possibility, but I hoped I wouldn’t get. Oil balls had been found in Oceanside and Carlsbad. Despite not knowing if they were from the Long Beach oil spill, we jumped into action. I joined many colleagues from throughout North County for a press conference on Carlsbad State Beach, providing information to the public.

Most importantly, there is no immediate threat to the public. A boom has been deployed around several sites, including the Agua Hedionda Lagoon that leads into the desalination plant in Carlsbad. The Carlsbad Desalination Plant continues to operate normally with no oil detected at the site, and there are no plans to shut it down. If the public observes tar balls or an oil sheen along the coastline, they are encouraged to report it by calling 866-985-8366. If members of the public observe wildlife impact by the oil spill, they can call 877-823-6926.

Those are the immediate facts, but this served as a stark reminder that we always need to reaffirm our opposition towards offshore oil drilling in our region. The destructive process associated with offshore drilling poses too great of a risk to the state’s coastal economy and environment.

In 2019, the Board of Supervisors opposed offshore oil drilling off our coast and sent a letter to the federal government to reject any proposal that would allow an expansion of offshore oil drilling in the coastal waters.

I will continue to keep you updated with the recent oil spill, but we must do all we can to protect our beaches, and our marine life. We have all seen the disturbing images from Orange County and we do not want to see that same devastation in San Diego County.