California GOP Assemblyman Chuck DeVore’s Solution to California Budget Woes: Drill Baby Drill

Today, California GOP Assemblyman and U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore addressed a group of energy lawyers in San Francisco. His prescription for increasing California tax revenues: Drill Baby Drill.

Besides slicing and dicing Boxer during a red-meat speech to the California Republican Party convention last weekend, the state senator from Irvine let it be known that he will push a plan to get dollars flowing into California’s coffers without soaking average state taxpayers.

His plan: Drill, baby, drill.

DeVore says there are 9 billion barrels of oil waiting to be had beneath California’s coastal waters. He calls for an aggressive off-shore oil exploitation program, using slant drilling technology. He says tax revenues produced by increased oil operations may well grease the way to balanced state budgets.

“Those are state waters,” he says. “That’s our oil.”

This solution is almost too simple. But, the “Save the Whale” types in Santa Barbara and Monterey will continue to block drilling – even the slant drilling type because they fear oil spill and the despoiling of animal habitats.

Now, new technology may alleviate the concerns for any oil spill mishaps but it will be a hard sell to these environmental zealots.

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