Governor Jerry Brown of California has called on US President Barack Obama to ban all drilling for hydrocarbons offshore the Golden State, according to the Associated Press.
Brown, a seasoned political veteran in his second go-round as governor after a long gap, wants Obama to make such a ban permanent to protect the environment.
The governor called on the outgoing chief executive to act fast before his term ends in less than five weeks.
Every indication is that President-elect Donald Trump will look much more favourably on the oil industry after he takes office on January 20.
Several of the state’s Democratic Congressional members have also asked Obama to use the power of executive order to permanently bar all oil and gas leasing in the waters of the West Coast before Trump takes over.
As recently as November, President Obama’s administration issued a plan to ban any new drilling off California, Oregon and Washington – the three Pacific states on the US mainland – until 2022.
Now Brown wants that extended forever.
