Ground breaking ECan vote

Press Release November 17, 2016

After a submission by Oil Free Otautahi and 350.org Christchurch, Environment Canterbury regional council voted 9 -2 to oppose deep sea oil drilling off the Canterbury coast. There was one abstention.

'This is awesome,' said Christchurch City Councilor Vicki Buck. 'Ground-breaking.'

Councilors Peter Scott and John Sunckell voted against; Councilor Elizabeth Cunningham abstained.

Councilor Lan Phan tabled the amendments that gave effect to the opposition of the oil lease block offers as well as requesting the government hold full public consultations in the event they ignore the will of the people as represented by local governments across New Zealand.

In the previous two weeks Christchurch City Council, Auckland City Council and Dunedin City Council had voted to oppose deep sea oil drilling lease block offers in their submissions to government. The public have been excluded from making submissions: only local authorities and Iwi were allowed to make submissions.

'Now with ECan's opposition added to the other major councils opposition the government must take notice,' said Oil Free Otautahi's submitter Charles Drace. 'These councils are not only reflecting the wide-spread public concern about climate change and the government's subsidising of oil and coal at the expense of renewable energy, but also the moral and ethical dimensions of global warming that local and central government

ends

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