Sonoma County Opposes Trump Administration Move To Change Offshore Oil Rule. According to Press Democrat, “Sonoma County supervisors on Tuesday adopted a resolution opposing a Trump administration proposal to blunt one of California’s key legal defenses against expanded offshore oil drilling. The resolution, which carries no legal authority, put the county on record against a proposal circulating within the U.S. Commerce Department that could ease the path for expanded offshore oil development in federal waters, including off California. Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, whose district covers the Sonoma Coast, said she was advised of the obscure federal issue by Richard Charter of Bodega Bay, a veteran anti-drilling activist whom she called a ‘west county treasure.’ ‘Right now, it’s critical to do anything we can on the local level to protect our precious coastal resources,’ Hopkins said in a text message. The proposal is to streamline a rule that requires consistency between federal offshore oil development plans and coastal management programs in 34 states, including California.” [Press Democrat, 4/16/19 (=)]

 

Justices Review Offshore Drilling Wage Dispute. According to E&E News, “The nation’s highest court yesterday heard arguments in a case with high stakes for the way offshore drilling workers are paid. California rig worker Brian Newton won a lower court ruling that the Golden State’s more protective wage-and-hour laws apply on the federally controlled outer continental shelf. Newton was seeking compensation for time he was not scheduled to work but during which his employer required him to stay on the drilling platform. But lawyers for Parker Drilling Management Services Ltd. and the federal government argued that the state rules are neither applicable nor consistent with the Federal Labor Standards Act (Energywire, March 4). The case comes as the Trump administration appears poised to open most of the outer continental shelf to oil and gas development. The Supreme Court’s ultimate decision could affect workers in all federal offshore areas. The question is whether federal oversight of the outer continental shelf leaves any room for state employment statutes to apply.” [E&E News, 4/17/19 (=)]

 

 

 

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