New push to open coast to drilling
An attempt to open California’s coast to expanded oil drilling was thwarted in early November, but the pro-drilling forces in Congress have pledged to try again soon.
Rep. Richard Pombo (Tracy) attempted to insert a pro-drilling provision into a congressional budget reconciliation bill. The provision would have taken the first steps toward dismantling a decades-old moratorium on new drilling off the nation’s coasts.

Despite the support of House leaders, the maneuver failed when it became clear that bipartisan opposition to the provision, along with a related proposal to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, would have sent the entire budget bill down
to defeat.

Environment California was part of the national coalition that urged members of Congress to stand up to the House leadership on the issue. We’re now urging the state’s congressional delegation to get behind a bill that would declare the state’s coast permanently off-limits to new drilling.

Rialto residents demand clean water
On November 16, Environment California Clean Water Advocate Sujatha Jahagirdar along with the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, testified before the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding the need to provide an immediate safe drinking water supply to the residents of Rialto.

Seven years ago, local officials discovered the presence of rocket fuel pollution in the city’s drinking water supply. Leaked because of careless industry storage and disposal practices, not a single one of the major responsible polluters has stepped forward to clean up their mess. Environment California is working to convince major polluters Goodrich and Black & Decker to clean up the contamination and provide residents with a safe supply of water in the meantime. At the hearing, we were joined by over 50 residents and delivered 1,000 petitions signed by local residents demanding immediate action.

While the board has not yet granted our request for an immediate safe water supply, they set up a public oversight committee to ensure public involvement in the process. The board also committed to ordering polluters to supply replacement water as soon as a preliminary testing period is complete.