Schwarzenegger seeks new drilling from coastal platform -- report

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) plan to tackle his state’s $20 billion budget deficit will include a push to allow new oil drilling from an existing platform off the Santa Barbara coast, according to a report Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Times account of Schwarzenegger’s budget plans – which include cuts in mass transit and an appeal for billions of dollars in federal aid – says the governor would count $200 million in revenues from the drilling in his budget.

But the account notes the State Lands Commission had previously rejected the proposal, and quotes a Sierra Club activist who argues the issue should not be revived “as part of budget politics.”

Schwarzenegger is implementing programs to cut California’s greenhouse gas emissions and supports international action to limit emissions, traveling to Copenhagen for the recent U.N. climate summit.

His support for some new drilling and emissions curbs could reflect a possible Senate compromise on climate change legislation. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is working with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on a compromise bill that would contain emissions limits and expanded U.S. offshore drilling.

Update: Schwarzenegger has, however, attacked proposals for major expansions of offshore oil-and-gas leasing in the U.S. -- during the 2008 presidential campaign he criticized GOP calls to end leasing moratoria that covered most federal waters. The bans ultimately did lapse, but the Interior Department under the Obama administration has not yet said what new areas -- if any -- it is targeting for lease sales.