The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission voted Wednesday against a proposed plan by ExxonMobil that would use tanker trucks to transport oil along Central Coast highways.
The vote was 3-2 with the same members dissenting the vote saying they did not agree with the three new findings requested by the commission majority.
The project would initiate the phased restart of ExxonMobil's offshore oil platforms and onshore processing facility off the southern Santa Barbara County coast. It would require trucks to transport the crude oil to refineries in Santa Maria and Maricopa, meaning the trucks would have to use Highways 101 and 166.
There would be up to 70 truck trips a day, with each truck transporting approximately 160 barrels of crude.
The planning commission members rejecting the project believe that the streets and highways are not suitable for the traffic the project would generate. They also site that the project would not be good for the well-being of the nearby neighborhoods.
This was the final public hearing on the project.
The Planning Commission's recommendation to deny the project will now go to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, which will make the final decision on the project.
