CARPINTERIA, Calif. – CARPINTERIA, Calif. (AP) — Voters in a California city have rejected a measure that would have allowed an oil company to slant-drill from a coastal bluff to reach oil off the coast of Santa Barbara County.
With all precincts reporting, 70 percent of voters in Carpenteria rejected Measure J on Tuesday.
Denver-based Venoco Inc. prepared the initiative for Tuesday's ballot before BP's disaster in the Gulf of Mexico raised new concerns over offshore oil development.
Opponents say Venoco would have been able to bypass normal reviews and place a huge drilling rig next to homes and a nature preserve.
Advocates say the site has processed oil for more than 50 years and the plan would have produced revenue for the city.
Venoco spokeswoman Lisa Rivas says the company will review its options after the results are certified.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
