The State : Oil Tanker Plan Rejected

Chevron Corp.’s plan to use tankers to ship crude oil from its operation at Point Arguello in Santa Barbara County to the oil company’s refinery in El Segundo was rejected by the state Coastal Commission. Admittedly affected by the 11-million-gallon Exxon tanker spill in Alaska, commission members said Chevron will have to consider using pipelines to deliver the oil south. The action left Chevron with little choice but to return to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, which had earlier approved the firm’s tanker plan. If supervisors again approve Chevron’s proposal, the Coastal Commission may be asked to consider the issue on appeal. Chevron won approval to start production at Point Arguello in the spring, but the company still needs a transportation permit.