Copyright, The Lompc Record 2008

SB Count Planning Commission Denies it Broke Law

5/29/2008

In response to an accusation that it had broken the law, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission said Wednesday that it had committed no violation during its April 21 meeting concerning an offshore oil drilling proposal.

More than a month ago, commissioners approved Plains Exploration and Production Co.'s proposal to reach the Tranquillon Ridge oil field in state waters by slant-drilling from its Platform Irene in federal waters.

However, Sunset Exploration Inc., a competing oil company for the field off the coast of northern Vandenberg Air Force Base, claimed that the panel had violated the Brown Act, California's open-meetings law, because commissioners improperly considered an agreement reached privately between Plains and environmental groups when making their decision.

Commissioners voted 4-0 Wednesday, with Commissioner Daniel Blough abstaining, to deny there had been any violation of California's open-meetings law. They also rejected Sunset's request to rescind the commissioners' April 21 decision on the Tranquillon Ridge project.

The precedent-setting Tranquillon Ridge project, which would be the county's first to allow slant-drilling into state waters, was approved last month after the much-trumpeted compromise between the oil company and environmental groups.

The Planning Commission's approval is tentative, pending a hearing by the Board of Supervisors on appeals from three competing oil companies. No date for that appeal hearing has been set.