Since November, local business leaders have grown concerned about the impacts that offshore oil drilling may have on the region’s economy, after the Trump administration released a plan proposing two sites off California’s central coast.
In reaction, advocates of local industries that rely on a pristine and unobstructed coastline sat down with Congressman Jimmy Panetta on Thursday to discuss the negative impacts oil drilling may have.
“We have jobs that come from each of our coastal industries, jobs that I believe are permanent,” Panetta said. “They’re generational, they belong here and we’re gonna have to continue to fight to make sure they stay here.”
The talk included representatives of the fishing industry, the hospitality industry and multiple local chambers of commerce and business councils. Each had concerns about how oil drilling off the central coast could negatively affect both their business and the area’s residents.
“In order to maintain those rigs out in the bay, our neighborhoods are going to change,” said Rick Aldinger, Past Chair of the Monterey County Hospitality Association. “Our downtown is going to change because of the infrastructure necessary to maintain what’s happening off the shore. It’s comprehensively changing what we have going on here and what we enjoy so much about where we live.”
Many central coast businesses rely directly on the coastline. These are fisheries, hotels, whale watching tours or small shops and restaurants that rely on the business of beach-goers. But the potential impacts of oil-drilling do not end at the shore.
Jose Luis Barajas, Program Manager at the Monterey County Business Council, explained that because of the interconnected water systems between the coast and the Salinas Valley, an oil spill could be catastrophic for local agricultural communities.
“There’s a lot at stake, both from the agricultural production standpoint, but also from a human perspective,” he said. “If that water gets contaminated, everyone in Castroville has to go.”
The Trump administration has tentatively scheduled the first lease sales for 2027. So, for those who live and own businesses in the central coast, preventing oil drilling development is a time sensitive project.
“We’ve made a decision that we’re not just protecting our coast,” Panetta said. “We’re protecting our way of life, while ensuring that there is no offshore oil drilling or exploration off of our coast.”
