If you have any questions, please attend one of the workshops or call Kathy McNeal Pfeifer at 568-2507 or Doug Anthony at 568-2046.

Santa Barbara:
Monday, July 24, 2000
5:00 P.M. -- 6:15 P.M.
County Engineering Building
Planning Commission Hearing Room
123 E. Anapamu Street, 1st Floor

Lompoc:
Monday, July 31, 2000
5:00 P.M. -- 6:15 P.M.
Lompoc City Council Chambers
100 Civic Center Plaza

Santa Maria:
Monday, July 31, 2000
7:00 P.M. -- 8:15 P.M.
Betteravia Center
Board of Supervisors Hearing Room
511 East Lakeside Parkway

DEADLINE

CREF Proposals must be received by

5:00 P.M., Monday, September 11, 2000

Santa Barbara County established the Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund (CREF) in 1988 to help reduce adverse impacts to coastal resources caused by offshore oil and gas development and related onshore support facilities. CREF helps to alleviate the effects of offshore oil and gas development by funding proposals to protect or enhance certain coastal resources. The County is legally obligated to use CREF solely for this purpose. CREF is not provided to mitigate any impacts generated by inland oil/gas development whether or not it is associated with offshore resources. CREF is funded by five offshore oil and gas developments: (1) Chevron Point Arguello, (2) Texaco Gaviota Terminal, (3) Exxon Santa Ynez Unit, (4) Torch Point Pedernales, and (5) Molino Gas Project.

The total amount available in the 2001 CREF cycle is $703,842. Of this amount, $355,509 are available for coastal land acquisitions and $348,333 are available for other types of coastal enhancements. Additional funds may be available from CREF projects that cannot commence within the two years allotted.

Applicants eligible to compete for CREF awards include public agencies, municipalities, special districts, and non-profit organizations in Santa Barbara County. Eligibility does not extend to for-profit organizations.

The Board of Supervisors awards grants from CREF through a competitive process. Energy Division staff evaluates each proposal received, and makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors based on how well each proposal meets the following eight criteria.

1. Enhancement projects must be located in the coastal area or have a coastal relationship, and must be consistent with the County's Local Coastal Program and Comprehensive Plan and the other local jurisdictions' applicable coastal programs. Enhancement projects should be located within geographical proximity to oil and gas onshore/offshore development activities while still providing for the broadest public benefit.

2. Projects should compensate for coastal impacts due to oil and gas development, specifically for sensitive environmental resources, aesthetics, tourism, and negative effects on coastal recreation in the County.

3. Projects should provide a level of broad public benefit.

4. The intent of the CREF program is to fund coastal acquisition and capital improvement projects; therefore, projects which offer coastal acquisition and capital improvements will receive higher priority than whose projects which do not.

5. Projects should utilize [additional] matching funds and/or in-kind services to the maximum extent possible.

6. Projects should be self-supporting or should require minimum on-going County operations/maintenance costs once the project is completed and implemented.

7. Projects to be funded should lack other viable funding mechanisms to complete the project.

8. The feasibility of implementing and completing the project shall be considered. Projects with a high probability of success should be given preference.

You may download the request for proposals below. If you have questions, please e-mail Kathy McNeal Pfeifer or call her at (805) 568-2507.

(Adobe PDF)

 
MS Word