Hermosa Beach OKs Oil Report

Hermosa Beach’s 6-year-old plan to allow private oil drilling in the city inched a step forward Tuesday when the City Council certified an environmental impact report on the project.

The certification, the first of 42 permits that must be obtained from various governmental agencies before drilling can begin, attests that the McPherson Oil Co. has detailed to the city’s satisfaction the impact the drilling project will have on pollution, traffic and noise levels in the small beach city.

The project is the outcome of a 1984 ballot measure, in which the city voted to authorize oil drilling and to use the proceeds for the purchase of open space. Although estimates vary dramatically, drilling proponents claim the project could generate as much as $42 million over the next 35 years for the cash-strapped city.

Tuesday’s council vote was 3-2, with the minority predicting that the report would receive stiff opposition from the State Lands Commission. Councilman Chuck Sheldon said he had been told earlier this week by commission members that they think the report is incomplete. He said they believe it fails to adequately address such issues as what area would be affected should an explosion occur at the drilling site in the city yard at 6th Street and Valley Drive.

Sheldon--who was joined by Councilwoman Kathleen Midstokke in voting no--added that the report had initially been drawn up at the commission’s request. He warned that the city risked losing the commission’s support for the project if the council signed off on a report that members knew would leave the commission dissatisfied.

However Don McPherson, president of the oil company, assured the council that the commission’s concerns would be addressed later in the process. McPherson said that, if all goes smoothly, he could begin the project as early as the summer of 1991.