Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to pull support for a proposal to expand oil drilling off the coast of Santa Barbara County effectively killed any short-term prospects for the project.
Prospects for reviving the proposal may not improve even after Schwarzenegger leaves office next year.
Gubernatorial candidates most likely to replace Schwarzenegger also appear to oppose the Plains Exploration & Production project. In addition, public support has turned amid a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Schwarzenegger has said that spill caused him to reconsider his support of expanding drilling off an existing platform in California.
Plains Exploration & Production has not commented since the announcement.
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