Schwarzenegger in offshore drilling U-turn

San Francisco - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has reversed his support for offshore drilling projects following the massive oil spill off Louisiana, and will not permit an expansion of oil exploration off the California coast.

"I see on TV the birds drenched in oil, the fishermen out of work, the massive oil slick destroying our precious ecosystem," he said in comments released by his office Tuesday. "That will not happen here in California and that is why I am withdrawing my support," he said.

Schwarzenegger had proposed a controversial drilling plan off the coast of Southern California, which would have raised 1.8 billion dollars over the next 14 years, as a way to help the state deal with its budget crisis. The so-called Tranquillon Ridge project would have been the state's first new oil lease in 14 years.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321987,schwarzenegger-in-offshore-drilling-u-turn.html.