Be part of the movement to end offshore oil drilling! An increase in offshore oil drilling and subsequent oil spills threatens the Santa Barbara Channel and the California coast. The Trump Administration recently fast-tracked the restart of the oil pipeline that spilled in 2015, and the 5-year plan for oil lease sales in federal waters has a target on the Santa Barbara Channel.
Join us on Sunday, May 17th, at Refugio State Beach to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the Plains All American pipeline spill at Refugio. We are calling for no new offshore oil drilling off California and to reverse the restart of the Las Flores pipeline system through Refugio and Gaviota State Beaches that spilled in 2015.
The paddle out welcomes any type of human-powered paddlecraft to join us in the water, and if you don’t paddle, we welcome everyone to come participate on the beach with signs and encouragement. At 8:30, breakfast burritos and coffee (bring your mug:)) will be available. The event starts at 9:00, and we expect to paddle out 100-200 yards and form a circle around 9:30. Bring a filled water bottle and coffee mug in addition to your paddle gear. We are inviting media to cover the event and homemade signs are welcome. Wear red or your “Don’t Enable Sable” tee if you are joining us on the beach.
Please click here register in advance to sign our waiver and expedite the check-in onsite. Please register if you are participating in the paddle out or if you are attending and not paddling. Please carpool. Limited free parking is available and free parking instructions are included in the registration confirmation email.
Event Background: Ten years ago, on May 19th, 2015, a severely corroded oil pipeline owned by Plains All American burst and spewed more than 120,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean at Gaviota State Beach. Hundreds of marine mammals and birds were documented killed while untold numbers of other marine organisms were also killed. Fisheries were shut down and recreational opportunities lost. Ten years later, as Sable Offshore Corp. is disregarding state laws and pushing forward to get the facilities that have been shut down since the spill, including the corroded pipeline back online, we gather as a community to commemorate the devastation that occurred and to stand united against the pipeline restart.
Event Partners: Surfrider Foundation (Santa Barbara County Chapter and UCSB Student Club), Environmental Defense Center, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, Sierra Club, Fearless Grandmothers, UCSB Environmental Affairs Board, Oceana, and Get Oil Out.