CoastWatcher

And now let us meet Rep. John Peterson (R-Pleasantville, PA) who believes America can drill its way to prosperity if only he can just get by those pesky environmentalists who value clean and healthy oceanic and wild coastal places more than his ability to navigate urban cities in a gas fired Hummer. Good thing Rep. Peterson doesn’t face re-election in California. Suspend your disbelief for a moment and read the story below. These people really do exist and they intend to ruin your coast if you’ll let them.
Ed.

ps: It is true, Pennsylvania has no coastline whatsoever. What happened, nothing left to destroy at home?
pss: For a guy trying to put a positive spin on his demented plan, Peterson sort of shoots himself in the foot, doesn’t he, when he says: “The state will never know what’s going on” ?????? Out here on the Left Coast we do care what is going on, and we’re not down with Peterson’s Scheme.
psss: And what is Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) smoking?

Thursday, Jun 21, 2007
http://www.centredaily.com/news/politics/story/131511.html
Peterson proposes bill to allow natural gas drilling offshore
By Barbara Barrett
WASHINGTON — Rep. John Peterson, R-Pleasantville, renewed his push Wednesday to open the nation’s coastline to offshore drilling. This time, though, he’s focusing on natural gas and pitching his plan as a green way to find energy and save American jobs.
“It’s the lifeblood of manufacturing,” Peterson said at a news conference. “For us to not be producing our own natural gas is like committing suicide economically.” Read the rest of this entry »

Coastal panel rejects Monterey golf project
By Kenneth R. Weiss
Los Angeles Times

June 14, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pines14jun14,0,803684.story?coll=la-home-center

They didn’t make his day. Members of the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday denied Clint Eastwood and a cast of celebrity investors in the Pebble Beach Co. permission to cut down more than 15,000 Monterey pine trees to make way for another golf course — the ninth — in the Monterey Peninsula’s Del Monte Forest.

The commission’s 8-4 decision came after years of politicking that pushed through a local ballot measure in favor of the development, sought key supporters in the state capital and worked on lining up a majority of votes on the powerful commission, which was established 30 years ago to protect the coast from excessive development.

Pebble Beach Co.’s owners, including Eastwood, Arnold Palmer and U.S. Olympic Committee board Chairman Peter Ueberroth, had personally lobbied commissioners since they and their investors bought the company from Japanese owners in 1999 for $820 million. Read the rest of this entry »

More modest plan needed for Pebble
THE HERALD’S VIEW
The Monterey County Herald
http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/ci_6119851
Article Last Updated:06/12/2007 01:28:34 AM PDT
Deep within the Pebble Beach Co.’s development plan are some fine ideas. Expanding existing operations at the Lodge at Pebble Beach and the Inn at Spanish Bay make good sense from an economic standpoint and even an environmental perspective. They are low-impact ways to keep the company’s resort operations on solid financial footing.

But the full plan remains just as short-sighted and unsupportable as it was a year ago when the company pulled it off the Coastal Commission’s agenda amid waves of criticism from environmental groups and the commission staff.
Read the rest of this entry »

Denial of initiative urged
Pebble Beach: Coastal panel staff points to inconsistencies
By KEVIN HOWE
Herald Staff Writer
Monterey County Herald

http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_6045252
Article Last Updated:06/02/2007 01:28:07 AM PDT

The California Coastal Commission staff has recommended that an initiative approved by Monterey County voters to clear the way for new development by the Pebble Beach Co. be denied.
The staff report contends that the measure — known as Measure A in 2000 — to amend the county local coastal program is inconsistent with state Coastal Act policies designed to protect environmentally sensitive habitat areas and wetlands.

Read the rest of this entry »