A Safety Net for Our Ocean

Sarah Palin’s moment of power may have faded from real life to a television series, but her shouts of “drill baby drill” will echo until elected leaders get the message that a majority of the public wants more conservation and renewables and less dependence on dirty fuels. As some politicians continue to demand more domestic drilling, how safe are California’s coastal waters from these and other commercial exploits?

The administration has offered some consolation for Californians: its proposed 5-year drilling plan would not open new lease sales in offshore areas (3 to 200 miles) of the west coast. But that plan is deeply flawed in other ways, and certainly doesn’t mean we can let down our guard. National marine sanctuaries, a type of marine protected area, provide a critical extra layer of protection by prohibiting oil and gas drilling within their boundaries by federal statute. These sanctuaries encompass offshore and coastal areas of central California and the northern Channel Islands.

In state waters (from shore to three miles), the California State Lands Commission halted further leasing of state offshore tracts after the Santa Barbara oil spill devastated south coast wildlife and beaches in 1969. The state legislature codified that ban in 1994 by passing the California Coastal Sanctuary Act, which bans oil and gas drilling out to three miles from shore.

Even if both the State Lands Commission and the state legislature and governor were to reverse those bans, new ocean wildlife havens created through the state’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) would discourage oil and gas drilling in fragile coastal habitats. These new protected areas, designed with extensive input from local citizens—provide key checks and balances on any proposed development with potential impacts on ocean wildlife and habitat. According to informal advice by the California Office of Attorney General, the Department of Fish and Game cannot permit activities that “injure, damage, take or possess any living, geologic or cultural resource in a state marine reserve.”
These marine protected areas currently span the coast from the Mexican border to Mendocino, providing vital protections for places like Point Arena, home to red abalone, lingcod and giant Pacific octopus, and Bodega Head—both well-known targets for oil drilling proposals.

Soon, California’s system of marine protected areas will extend all the way to the Oregon border. The Fish and Game Commission is currently reviewing the north coast communities’ marine protected area plan, aiming for a final decision this June.

Marine protected areas are a vital piece of California’s commitment to keeping its oceans healthy and productive. They work in concert with a network of other laws and regulations that help protect the coast from harmful commercial activities, such as:

• The U.S. EPA approved rules this February, consistent with the Clean Coast Act, that ban dumping of sewage and toxics by cruise ships and large cargo vessels into the ocean within three miles of California's coast.
• Federal and state water quality laws set water quality standards and regulations for discharges and polluted runoff from land into the ocean.
• The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act requires federal agencies to balance environmental sensitivity against potential oil and gas development. They look to indicators like marine protected areas to help identify those fragile areas.
• And volunteer groups are instrumental in keeping the ocean healthy, from water quality efforts led by the coastkeepers to coastal clean-ups and citizen science and education programs like Reef Check and MPA Watch.

Ocean waters belong to all of us, and an engaged public is the best defense against threats to our coast and oceans. The opportunity to help design the state’s new underwater parks has galvanized citizens to learn about and help protect iconic places—from underwater canyons and kelp forests to corals and rocky reefs—and the rich web of life they support. These jewels of the coast attract tidepoolers, divers, beachcombers, surfers, wildlife watchers and other visitors. It takes a combination of tough laws and community involvement to safeguard our coast and ocean, and the many activities and businesses that rely on their health. California has made tremendous strides in the past decade. By keeping ocean issues front and center, we can continue to strengthen this safety net for the sea.