May 19 of this year marked the fifth anniversary of the massive Plains All American Pipeline spill near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County that resulted in the idling of Exxon’s three offshore oil platforms that rise like sentinels from the coastal waters.

The collapse of the severely corroded pipeline resulted in 140,000 gallons of crude oil spilling into the ocean, killing hundreds of birds and marine mammals, halting recreational and commercial fishing and fouling four marine protected areas created under the privately-funded Marine Life Protection Act Initiative as the spill was cleaned up.

Exxon’s offshore rigs have remained idle since the Refugio Oil Spill, but the oil giant, responsible for the infamous Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska in 1989, had plans to restart its offshore drilling platforms in Santa Barbara County and truck that oil through California.

However, opponents of offshore drilling say two unrelated developments that took place on August 12 could undermine these plans. A coalition of conservation, environmental justice, and indigenous groups is calling on the oil company to abandon this project and decommission its offshore rigs.

First, Santa Barbara County planning staff released a report opposing the use of State Route 166 to truck oil to Kern County, noting that use of this route would increase the likelihood of accidents and oil spills, according to a press release from the coalition.

The report stated, "The No Project Alternative was initially found to be the environmentally superior alternative, as none of the impacts associated with the Project or other alternative would occur. CEQA requires that if the No Project Alternative is found to be the environmentally superior alternative, then the next most environmentally preferred alternative from..."