By Katie Davis, Chapter Chair
Santa Barbara Showdown
Marking the January anniversary of the 1969 oil spill, the Santa Barbara Independent posed the provocative question, “Is Big Oil Dead in Santa Barbara?” It called recent developments, “so wildly unlikely they would not have been imaginable even a few years ago.”
“Oil platforms — immovable anchors on our horizon — are now being decommissioned. Three proposed onshore projects that would have generated roughly 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases a year are all but dead. And a company as seemingly omnipotent as ExxonMobil appears on the brink of being shut down for the indefinite future.”
This is good news indeed, though stopping ExxonMobil is not yet a done deal. While the SB Planning Commission has recommended denial of ExxonMobil’s proposal to restart offshore wells along the Gaviota coast, the Board of Supervisors still needs to vote on this. With no pipeline, it aims to truck the oil on the 101 via 24,800 roundtrip tanker trucks each year That hearing has been delayed once again and is currently scheduled for March 8.
Ventura Showdown
An oil showdown is coming to Ventura County soon too. In 2020 the Ventura County Board of Supervisors adopted ordinances which require discretionary review of certain new and expanded oil and gas exploration and production and compliance with modern health and safety standards governing those operations.
The oil industry prefers to avoid scrutiny of the environmental and health impacts of their projects and having to comply with new requirements, such as oil well setbacks away from homes and schools. So, they funded a referendum and gathered enough signatures to get the question on the June 2022 ballot.
Judging by the misrepresentations and lies told by those hired to gather signatures, look out for a doozy of disinformation in advance of the countywide vote in June.
Federal Showdown
Unfortunately, the Build Back Better Act with all its great and desperately needed climate provisions failed to pass last year after a dramatic rejection by Senator Joe Manchin. Let’s hope it gets resurrected.
In addition, the Public Lands Acts including the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act were stripped out at the last minute of a must-pass Senate bill in December. However, some good things related to chemical cleanup of PFAs, toxics, and climate change resilience and preparedness did make it into that end-of-year defense bill.
In addition, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary proposed in federal waters off the coast of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties is making progress towards designation with a carve out for offshore wind. That Morro Bay Wind Energy area is waiting for environmental review for leasing.
The Biden administration is also expected to issue a draft of a 5-year offshore oil leasing plan in the coming months, which is NOT expected to include the Pacific Ocean.
Oil Settlement
The SB County District Attorney announced a settlement related to the March 2020 oil truck accident and spill that released 4,533 gallons of oil into the Cuyama River. threatening the Twitchell reservoir, a drinking water source for Santa Maria valley.
The DA found on Jan. 24 that the truck was driven at an unsafe speed, causing the oil tank to detach from the truck, and roll down an embankment into the river. The driver of the truck, Jesse Villasana, pled guilty to a misdemeanor and his employer, Golden Valley Transfer, Inc., has agreed to pay $514,320 in reimbursement for clean-up of the spill, remediation, and penalties.
Oil thumnail photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash