On June 3, about 650 supporters of the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) gathered at Rancho La Patera and Stow House in Goleta to celebrate their treasured organization and raise funds for its educational, advocacy, and legal work in the tri-county area.
Guests mingled on the scenic grounds while perusing an extensive silent auction before being seated in an open-air tent for the program. Chief Counsel Linda Krop shared some highlights of EDC’s accomplishments over the past 41 years: stopping three proposed liquefied natural gas projects and many oil development proposals; ending marine barging off our coast; defeating Phillips 66’s plan to bring mile-long oil trains through our communities; and extinguishing 40 federal offshore oil leases. EDC has saved more than 100,000 acres of open space, including the Carpinteria Bluffs, Douglas Family Preserve, and Ellwood Mesa.
Executive Director Owen Bailey lamented the many challenges posed by the Trump administration, especially the offshore oil leasing scheme, which would put 90% of our nation’s coast at risk, including the Santa Barbara Channel. He cautioned that the 2015 Refugio oil spill was a reminder that “it is never a question of if, but when, another oil spill will devastate our coastline, our economy, our communities.” In addition to the threat posed by conventional oil drilling, Bailey pointed to the dangers of fracking and acidizing from platforms off our coast, which is the subject of an existing EDC lawsuit, and which will expand with new oil leases.