Tapping public energy during an emergency is the subject of an Environmental Defense Center (EDC) project, which hopes to open the way to volunteers, who appeared in droves after the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill. The effort just got a $7,300 shot in the arm from The Fund for Santa Barbara. Since Refugio, EDC has been looking at weaknesses in emergency preparedness, oil spill response, and community outreach and communications. “Facing new offshore oil leasing threats from the Trump administration and a massive push for new onshore oil drilling in Santa Barbara County,” said Linda Krop, EDC’s chief counsel, “we need to be better prepared for the next inevitable oil spill.”
