IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 32 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the 40th anniversary of the oil spill 
off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, should be remembered as 
an ecological and economic disaster that triggered major environmental 
legislation and helped launch the modern environmental movement, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 28, 2009 
Mrs. CAPPS (for herself, Mr. FARR, and Ms. WOOLSEY) submitted the fol-
lowing concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that the 40th anniversary 
of the oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, 
should be remembered as an ecological and economic 
disaster that triggered major environmental legislation 
and helped launch the modern environmental movement, 
and for other purposes. 
Whereas January 28, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of 
an oil spill at Union Oil Company’s Platform A, located 
six miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, California; 
Whereas over 11 days, an estimated 3,000,000 gallons of 
crude oil was released into the Pacific Ocean, creating an 
800 square-mile slick; 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
04:02 Jan 29, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HC32.IH
HC32
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
•HCON 32 IH 
Whereas incoming tides brought the oil to beaches from 
Rincon Point to Goleta, damaging 35 miles of coastline, 
as well as all four of the northern Channel Islands; 
Whereas the impact of the oil spill on marine wildlife was dis-
astrous, killing dozens of sea lions and dolphins; 
Whereas it has been estimated that approximately 9,000 
birds died as the oil stripped their feathers of the natural 
waterproofing that kept them afloat; 
Whereas multitudes of fish are believed to have been killed, 
and many others fled the area, causing economic harm to 
the region’s fishermen; 
Whereas a great number of gray whales migrating from the 
Gulf of Alaska to their calving and breeding grounds in 
Baja, Mexico, were forced to avoid the polluted Santa 
Barbara Channel, which is their main route south; 
Whereas many consider the publicity surrounding the oil spill 
to have been a major impetus to the modern environ-
mental movement; 
Whereas following the oil spill, a broad environmental grass-
roots movement was founded leading to the first Earth 
Day in November 1969; 
Whereas only days after the spill began, Get Oil Out! was 
founded in Santa Barbara and collected 100,000 signa-
tures on a petition banning offshore oil drilling; 
Whereas the Environmental Defense Center in Santa Bar-
bara was founded and the first Environmental Studies 
program was started at the University of California, 
Santa Barbara; 
Whereas the California Coastal Commission was created from 
a statewide initiative to protect the State’s coastal areas, 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
04:02 Jan 29, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HC32.IH
HC32
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
•HCON 32 IH 
and the State Lands Commission banned offshore drilling 
for 16 years; 
Whereas in the years following the oil spill, the State and 
Federal governments enacted many environmental protec-
tion laws, including the California Environmental Quality 
Act and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 
which led the way to the establishment of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency; 
Whereas Santa Barbara News-Press Editor Thomas Storke 
said: ‘‘Never in my long lifetime have I ever seen such 
an aroused populace at the grassroots level. This oil pol-
lution has done something I have never seen before in 
Santa Barbara—it has united citizens of all political per-
suasions in a truly nonpartisan cause.’’; and 
Whereas President Richard Nixon said: ‘‘It is sad that it was 
necessary that Santa Barbara should be the example that 
had to bring it to the attention of the American people. 
What is involved is the use of our resources of the sea 
and of the land in a more effective way and with more 
concern for preserving the beauty and the natural re-
sources that are so important to any kind of society that 
we want for the future. The Santa Barbara incident has 
frankly touched the conscience of the American people.’’: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the 40th anniversary of the oil spill off the 
coast of Santa Barbara, California, should be re-
membered as an ecological and economic disaster 
that triggered major environmental legislation and 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
04:02 Jan 29, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HC32.IH
HC32
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
•HCON 32 IH 
helped launch the modern environmental movement; 
and 
(2) this anniversary is a timely reminder of the 
critical importance of moving our economy away 
from its crippling dependence on fossil fuels and to-
wards a clean, renewable energy future. 
Æ 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
04:02 Jan 29, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HC32.IH
HC32
wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS