We strongly support the continued oil development along the California coast. This must be considered a No. 1 priority for this state. There should be no limit to offshore drilling. President Trump is right.

We oppose the efforts of the radical Democrat, 24th District Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), or 19th District State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), or Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop offshore production in California. Their actions will kill thousands of jobs for those that do need work and eliminate taxes for social programs with their opposition to offshore oil development.

Polls show that the majority of Californians support development of our national oil reserves here in California, on- and offshore.  

We oppose using our already strained tax dollars to buy back oil company leases no matter what they cost.

The Santa Barbara County, California, and the U.S. of A. have benefited greatly from past oil production, through well paid jobs, royalties, and civic projects.

We strongly support developing American oil now and in the future, rather than to continue to increase the amount being imported from Arab and other foreign nations with the continued loss of jobs and oil royalties in the U.S.

Our very extensive offshore oil reserves will be needed in the future, and planning for their use must begin now.

The oil industry is among the safest and best regulated industries in this country. New technology will insure that this record will continue in the future.

The efforts of the Santa Barbara Environmental Defense Center and Get Oil Out! to smear oil companies because of one incident in 1969 or the Refugio spill is irrational and extremism. Such an incident should not be used to stop oil production, no more than a train wreck should end train travel.

Oil is a natural product of the Earth, and as such it has existed along the coast for eons. When in the ocean water either from natural seeps, or from oil drilling, it is biodegradable and dissipates shortly after release, otherwise our beaches would be caked with tar. There is no proof that oil production or oil itself permanently harms the environment.

In a society that is so totally based on oil, as ours is, it is important to maintain an open attitude to its development and plan for future development of our offshore reserves such as the Tranquillon Ridge Project. An increased resource with low risk.

The efforts by environmentalists and their liberal politicians like the radicals Carbajal and Jackson to curtail American oil development is undermining the economy of California and is blatantly un-American. The state of California will have to raise our taxes to replace any lost oil revenues to continue to provide the same service levels if future oil production is curtailed by these actions.

We need oil development on the California coast and anywhere else it is found including the National Forests, ANWR, Bekkar, etc.

The Democrats are stupid for making this an issue and driving business out of our state. We support the Philips 66 rail spur as a safe way to process oil. The gasoline tankers on our highways are more dangerous.

Justin Ruhge is president of Concerned Taxpayers Inc., and is a resident of Lompoc. Send your thoughts to [email protected].

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