Protecting the California Coast – The Angelides Coast Guard Plan

As Governor, Phil Angelides will reverse the policies of Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Bush, renewing California’s historic commitment to coastal and ocean protection.

Three decades ago, when oil spills blackened California beaches and uncontrolled development threatened public access to the coast, California leaders and voters acted to protect the coast. As Governor, Phil Angelides will call this generation of Californians to carry forward the work of protecting the coast against new threats to its environment and beauty.

The Angelides coastal protection plan will fight the unprecedented drive by President Bush and the Republican Congress to despoil the California coast with renewed oil and gas drilling that bi-partisan votes have banned for twenty-five years. And it will reverse the policy of coastal neglect by Governor Schwarzenegger, whose actual record reveals that his “green” photo-ops and enviro-friendly rhetoric are as hollow as a Hollywood backdrop.

The Angelides Coast Guard Plan will:

1. Launch a comprehensive program to identify, purchase, and protect key undeveloped portions of the coast.
2. Fight for a permanent federal ban on oil and gas drilling off the California coast.
3. Require comprehensive state planning before approval of any liquid natural gas (LNG) terminals and desalination plants on the coast.
4. Restore funding for the Coastal Commission and other coastal protection agencies that have been cut under Schwarzenegger’s watch.
5. Reduce coastal pollution and beach closures from sewage and runoff.
6. Require lobbyists to register and disclose their contacts with the Coastal Commission.

»To read more about Phil Angelides’ Coast Guard plan please click here