Santa Barbara Current

Santa Barbara Current

As I Was Saying...

S.B. NIMBYs Love Oil Products: Why Not Local Oil?

By Brian Campbell

Aug 10, 2026
∙ Paid

The Santa Barbara Conundrum

Mother Nature was drilling offshore long before anyone incorporated an oil company. We scrape tar off our kids’ feet after a day at the beach.

The Santa Barbara Channel is one of the largest natural offshore oil seeps on Earth, releasing an estimated 240 barrels of oil a day, roughly 88,000 barrels a year, all on its own. Peer-…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Santa Barbara Current to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2026 Santa Barbara Current · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture