Oil lease denied
The California State Lands Commission denied Jan. 29 the first new oil lease in offshore waters in nearly 40 years.
John Garamendi, former deputy interior Secretary under President Bill Clinton, argued that the plan would open more doors to offshore drilling and oil exploration on the West Coast.
The lieutenant governor chairs the three-member State Lands Commission, which considered and denied the request in a 2-1 vote to lease land to the Plains Exploration & Production Co. to expand drilling off the California coast.
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