FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2018

Contact:
David Turnbull, david [at] priceofoil [dot] org
Brant Olson, brant [at] priceofoil [dot] org

California leadership makes the case for no new fossil fuel development in the state

Today, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, in his role as head of the state’s Public Lands Commission, sent a letter to the Trump administration outlining the state’s objections to the revised federal 5 year offshore drilling plan released earlier this year. In response, David Turnbull, Strategic Communications Director at Oil Change International, provided the following comment:

“California’s Public Lands Commission and Lieutenant Governor Newsom are right to ensure that the state of California plays no part in allowing Trump’s energy dominance offshore drilling disaster to move forward. Offshore drilling — and all new fossil fuel development — flies completely in the face of California’s climate ambitions and commitment to reducing health risks in frontline communities.

“Today’s move by Newsom to stand strongly against offshore drilling is an important step, and leaders in California have ample opportunity to do even more to promote a managed decline of fossil fuel development in the state in line with our climate limits. Newsom’s letter makes a powerful case for rejecting offshore drilling, but importantly it establishes an equally strong case for ending new oil development onshore as well. As Lieutenant Governor Newsom said today in his letter, ‘the fossil fuel era is ending.’

“As we approach the Global Climate Action Summit, hosted by Governor Brown later this year, now would be a fantastic moment for the Brown-Newsom administration to announce new steps to limit fossil fuel extraction in the state writ large. The case for a managed phase out of fossil fuel production in California is clear, they simply need to read their own letter released today.”

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