University of California Energy Institute

Offshore oil drilling has been controversial in California for decades. Oil drilling in national forests has never received the same kind of attention, but because of the Bush administration’s decision to increase oil development in the national forests, attention is likely to increase. This paper examines public opinion regarding oil drilling in California’s forests. We find that attitudes toward drilling for oil in national forests are similar to attitudes toward offshore oil drilling. This implies that oil drilling in the national forests can easily develop into a national controversy.