Santa Barbara oil deal is too slick - Los Angeles Times

The state's financial crisis should not be used as an excuse to force a dubious deal on offshore oil drilling.

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Alot of appalling program cuts and questionable revenue schemes are on the horizon as California lawmakers seek to close a $24-billion budget gap, and many will pass with a wince and a shrug given a lack of better options. But some of the cheap budget tricks on the table in Sacramento are so outrageous and unnecessary that they should be rejected without further ado. A case in point: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempt to subvert the public process and allow the first new oil drilling project off the coast of California in 40 years. In January, the California State Lands Commission considered a bid by the Houston oil company Plains Exploration & Production to open several new wells from an existing oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara. The platform is in federal waters just beyond the three-mile limit controlled by the state, but Plains Exploration wanted to drill "slant wells" to access oil under state lands. In return, the company promised to cease operations by 2022 and close not only that platform but three others it operates off Santa Barbara and two onshore processing facilities. It also promised to donate 4,000 acres of land for preservation.

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