Residents in the city of Encinitas tonight stood their ground at a robust ‘Peoples Hearing’ vowing to fight the Trump Administration over plans to renew offshore oil drilling on the San Diego coast.  They have no intention of backing down.  

San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, who represents almost the entire coast of San Diego County, joined their protest at the Encinitas Community Center. 

“I’m a surfer. I’m a mom. And I’m here to say to Donald Trump — and to the CEOs of Exxon, Chevron, Shell, and BP — go pound sand. California learned the hard way what happens when the oil industry calls the shots. The Santa Barbara spill dumped more than four million gallons of crude oil into our ocean. It killed wildlife, destroyed miles of coastline, and changed our state forever,” said San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. 

Environmental groups including Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, Wildcoast and the California Coastal Protection Network sponsored the event 

As chair of the San Diego Community Power Board - a non-profit focused on clean energy that recently announced a $55 million initiative that will offer rebates and incentives to encourage its customers to install solar-plus-battery systems in their homes -  Board Chair Lawson-Remer is demanding that California move forward on the clean energy front.  

“I’m fighting every day for affordable, local, clean energy and to reduce costs down for working families. Offshore oil drilling in CA will be costly, destructive and will destroy our tourism economy,” said Chair Lawson-Remer. 

Clean Energy Cost-Saving Facts: 

- Free fuel: Solar and wind power use free, inexhaustible sources—the sun and wind—eliminating the continuous fuel costs associated with coal, oil, and natural gas. 

- Falling technology costs: The price of renewable energy technologies has dropped dramatically. For example, utility-scale solar costs have fallen by 88% since 2010, and wind costs have dropped by nearly 70%. 

- Stable and predictable prices: Once the initial investment in a solar or wind farm is made, the operating costs are very low and predictable, shielding consumers and economies from the price swings of fossil fuel markets. 

- Low operational and maintenance costs: Renewable sources have minimal ongoing costs. For solar panels, this includes low maintenance and a long lifespan (around 25 years), which helps them pay for themselves over time. 

- Economies of scale and innovation: As the industry grows, economies of scale and continued technological innovation further drive down the cost per kilowatt-hour, making solar and wind increasingly competitive. 

- Incentives: Government incentives, tax breaks, and subsidies help reduce the initial upfront cost for both individuals and businesses, making the transition to clean energy more affordable.