The State - News from June 27, 1986

Talks between California congressmen and the Interior Department over ways to avoid a showdown over offshore oil drilling broke off, but both sides say they will meet again. After failing to agree on the location and amount of future drilling, the two sides decided to try to negotiate a temporary “cease fire” on the controversial issue. California congressmen, for example, could modify their plans to seek approval of a drilling moratorium in return for Interior promises to postpone future offshore lease sales. So far, however, little progress has been made. Interior now plans to open the coastlines of Mendocino and Humboldt counties to drilling in April, 1988, and invite industry to drill off Southern California later that year.