Huntington Beach City Council to support ban on new offshore drilling after recent spill

Following the oil spill off the California coast earlier this month, Huntington Beach City Council voted this week to support a ban on new offshore oil drilling off the state’s coast.

According to the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organisation that works to protect and preserve the world’s oceans and beaches, Huntington Beach was the 100th West Coast community to pass a resolution officially opposing the expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling.

“It’s really disturbing to learn that there were a lot of safety precautions that were not taken, there were a lot of corners that appear to have been cut,” said Huntington Beach mayor Kim Carr. “A lot of the alarms that should have gone off didn’t go off, so I think we need to be more forward-thinking. I think this resolution is a good first step.”

“As oil is still washing up on our beloved coasts in Southern California, we are witnessing first-hand the devastating repercussions of offshore drilling off our coastlines,” said Bill Hickman, Surfrider Southern California regional manager, in a statement. “The decision made by the city of Huntington Beach to oppose offshore drilling shows leadership, and we commend their efforts to avoid the same disaster from happening again.”