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The Northern California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act provides protection to the unique and productive marine environment along Northern California’s outer continental shelf (OCS).
“For the economic and biological health of our country, it’s critical that we permanently protect this unique area from the environmental hazards of off-shore drilling,” said Congressman Thompson. “Unfortunately in the last Congress drilling became a political drama, rather than a policy debate. My legislation is one aspect of a broader campaign to restore sensible, science based policy and ensure the health of our oceans for generations.”
During the last Congress, the ban on OCS drilling expired, which leaves the North Coast susceptible to drilling in as little as three years.
The moratorium on OCS drilling had been a bipartisan agreement in Congress since 1982, but came under regular attack, and was not renewed in 2008.
In order to make sure that the North Coast of California is permanently protected, Congressman Thompson introduced his legislation today.
“Our coastline is home to one of the four most important upwellings in the world, which together support 20 percent of the ocean’s fish,” Thompson said. “Drilling on the North Coast doesn’t make sense, either from an economic standpoint or an environmental perspective. By permanently banning drilling, we can provide our coast with the protection it needs, regardless of who is in charge in Washington.”
Upwelling regions are coastal areas that support extremely abundant and productive marine life. This is because an upwelling brings cold, nutrient-rich waters up from the ocean depths that, when combined with sunlight, enhance seaweed and phytoplankton growth.
The seaweed and phytoplankton provide energy for some of the most productive ecosystems in the world, including many of the world’s most important fisheries, such as the North Coast fisheries.
Drilling for gas and oil off the Northern Coast of California could cause serious harm to the unique and productive ecosystem and abundant marine life found off the coast, including the fish many local North Coast economies depend on.
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Lakeport Police Chief Kevin Burke, whose agency reopened its public office hours on Monday following a two-week city furlough, said there were two burglaries of note in the city in late December – one at the Blockbuster video store and the second at the now-closed Carlos and Vinny's restaurant.
Blockbuster, located on Lakeport Boulevard, was the victim of a “smash and grab” early on the morning of Dec. 20, Burke said.
The perpetrators smashed in the business' front window on the northeast side of the building and took two Playstations. Burke said police were dispatched to the area at about 5:30 a.m. Dec. 20 when the break-in triggered the alarm.
About a week and a half later, at some time on the night of Dec. 29 or early on the morning of Dec. 30, a break-in occurred at Carlos and Vinny's restaurant on S. Main Street, Burke said.
He said the suspects, who aren't known at this time, smashed a window on the north side of the business, which has been closed since late November.
The building's property manager reported that most of the business' contents were there but believed alcohol had been stolen, said Burke.
“At this point we haven't confirmed exactly what was taken,” he said.
Besides those two notable exceptions, there were a few cases of vandalism and driving under the influence during the holiday period, which Burke said weren't out of the ordinary for Lakeport.
For the most part, the rest of the county was quiet for the Christmas and New Year's season.
Lt. Mike Hermann of Clearlake Police called the holidays “pretty uneventful.”
“We had a few minors arrests, just two DUIs, but nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.
The same appeared to be the case for the county at large.
“Fortunately, it appears to have been a slow holiday,” said Capt. Jim Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
No DUI arrests outside of Clearlake or Lakeport were reported in the jail logs during the California Highway Patrol's maximum enforcement period from Dec. 31 through Sunday, although there had been three arrests during its increased enforcement period around Christmas.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Clearlake Police arrested Christopher Adam Sanders, 28, early Monday, according to a report from Lt. Mike Hermann.
Hermann said the Clearlake Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident that led to Sanders' arrest.
He said portions of the allegedly crime occurred within the city limits.
Hermann said additional incidents also were reported to have occurred within the county's jurisdiction. In order to avoid jurisdictional conflicts, it was determined that the Clearlake Police Department would lead the investigation.
No other information is being released on the case is being released at this time, Hermann said.
Sanders, whose booking sheet indicates he works as a plumber, remained in the Lake County Jail Monday night.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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The California Highway Patrol reported that the rollover occurred at about 6:46 p.m. on E. Highway 20 just east of Sentry Market.
The driver, whose name was not released, was seen swerving just prior to the collision, according to the CHP incident logs.
The driver was reportedly transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with major injuries.
No further information was available Monday evening.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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Erica Soto, 41, was traveling westbound on Highway 20 west of Harvey in Lucerne shortly after 3:30 p.m. when she failed to negotiate a right curve in the road and traveled off the west edge, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.
Soto's green 2000 Dodge Caravan rolled over and came to rest on its wheels along the lakeshore, Garcia said.
Initial reports indicated that the vehicle went into the lake but that was not the case when CHP arrived on scene, Garcia noted.
Soto was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with minor injuries, Garcia said.
Garcia said CHP currently believes that Soto was under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the collision and that substance is to be determined by the investigating officer.
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The 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded at approximately 9:27 a.m. Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey, which originally had rated the quake as 4.4 in magnitude.
The US Geological Survey report listed the epicenter as two miles east southeast of The Geysers, four miles southwest of Cobb and four miles west of Anderson Springs, at a depth of 2.7 miles.
At 9:32 p.m., it was followed by a 2.0-magnitude centered quake two miles east of The Geysers and four miles southwest of Cobb, at a depth of two-tenths of a mile, according to the US Geological Survey. Five more small quakes measuring between 1.0 and 1.9 on the Richter scale were reported in the following half-hour.
Altogether, 23 quakes occurred Sunday in and around The Geysers, Anderson Springs and Cobb, including the big quake and six smaller ones that happened before it, US Geological Survey records show.
Residents of Cobb, Kelseyville and Hidden Valley Lake told Lake County News that they felt the quake.
It was described as having a rolling-type movement. No one reported damage although one person said she was nearly knocked out of her chair while sitting at the computer.
Cobb resident Roger Kinney initially reported that the quake lasted about 10 seconds, with it coming on quickly, followed by violent shaking before it dissipated and was followed by a second shockwave five seconds later. He said it's the largest quake he's felt since moving to the area two and a half years ago.
The US Geological Survey received reports from people from around Lake County who felt the quake – including Middletown, Hidden Valley, Lakeport, Spring Valley, Clearlake and Cobb. Numerous residents of Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Napa and San Francisco also reported feeling it.
There were even reports from as far away as South Lake Tahoe, Vacaville and Las Vegas.
The last earthquake measuring 3.0 or above occurred on Dec. 30, three miles east of The Geysers at a depth of 1.1 miles. It measured 3.0 on the Richter scale, as Lake County News has reported.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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