Chapter Wins

By Katie Davis

One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is reflect on the work and successes of Sierra Club and our environmental allies. Of course, it takes a lot of work by volunteers, and donations are always welcome. The money stays here at home doing good work. Please donate: sierraclub.org/donate/1000

This year we successfully:

• Defeated ExxonMobil multiple times in our efforts to keep their dangerous offshore oil operations from restarting that have been shut down for eight years since the 2015 Refugio oil spill. 
• Represented by the SB Environmental Defense Center, environmental groups intervened in Exxon’s lawsuit against Santa Barbara County for denying their dangerous oil trucking project. We won! Plus, in October Exxon withdrew their “Line 901/903 Pipeline Replacement Project.”
• Held off new onshore oil projects in Santa Barbara County. The Cat Canyon aquifer exemption that would allow drilling through the Santa Maria drinking water aquifer has been successfully delayed to study pathways of contamination. 
• Made progress in getting abandoned oil infrastructure cleaned up, and in April California allocated $34 million to plug 171 abandoned wells in Cat Canyon 
• In June the state completed removal of oil piers 421 on Haskell’s beach in Goleta which were the last remaining oil wells on any beach in the state. 
• The 30 oil wells on Platform Holly are plugged and its Ellwood Onshore Facility was safely shut down. UCSB started a project to demolish and remove the oil storage tanks on the Ellwood bluffs.
• Two more of the ancient and leaking wells (Treadwell) in the ocean off Summerland Beach were abandoned for a total of six to date.
• Formed the local version of Sierra Club California’s Agricultural Committee, which notably aims to go beyond chemical pesticides. Even better, it is headed locally by the Rincon-Vitova “Bug Farm” in Ventura. To join, email: jdietrick9@gmail.com
• Joined lots of fun events this year: A ‘paddle out’ off Santa Barbara to urge Gov. Newsom to "End Dependence on Fossil Fuels.” We joined “chalk-tivists” for Climate Justice in Ventura. We did Electric Car Shows, Earth Day events, World Ocean Day andJDietrick9@gmail.com more.
• Inside, we showed up at meetings and hearings to call for climate action. Our premier lobbyist, Jim Hines, has a national network of elected officials and staff that he calls.
• In June we succeeded when SB County upheld a goal of 50% GHG reduction by 2030 in its Climate Action Plan. We also asked them to include emissions from oil and gas production. We submitted comments on the city of Ventura’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP) and others.
• Saw progress in our campaign to move away from methane gas. Goleta and Carpinteria passed Building Electrification ordinances for new construction and Santa Barbara County voted to draft one as well. Also, 3CEnergy launched a program called “Electrify Your Home” to encourage installing heat pumps for water and space heating. See a list of programs and incentives at: www.3c-ren.org
• We supported the Ventura Westside Clean Air Coalition’s demands for environmental review of SoCalGas’ gas compressor station expansion located near a school. After succeeding in getting the CPUC to pull the Ventura Compressor out of the General Rate Case, SoCalGas applied for an application in August. We continue to make the case that we can decrease gas demand rather than build out more gas infrastructure.
• Advocated for renewable energy and saw new projects come online, notably the Strauss Wind Energy Project near Lompoc was finally completed. It’s the first wind project on the CA coast, generating enough energy to power approximately 36,000 homes.
• In December GridStor completed a utility-scale battery storage facility in Goleta.
• SB County is moving steadily toward meeting its goal of operating government facilities on 100% renewable energy by 2030. Major projects this year included the microgrid at the county building in Santa Maria, and solar and batteries at several other buildings.
• It also finally started work on the “Utility-Scale Solar Comprehensive Plan and Ordinance Amendments” that would open up the county to large solar projects. 
• In August several solar projects were approved by Goleta School District and it got a grant to purchase two electric buses. 
• Our local CCAs (Community Choice Aggregation) are procuring new renewable energy projects on our behalf.
• Supported alternative transportation, including better and safer bike paths. Examples include the Modoc Path design which will close a 3/4-mile gap in a 20+ mile multi-use path network, easements for the San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path that will close a gap in the Goleta bike path network from Old Town Hollister Ave. to Goleta Beach.
• Meanwhile, SB city will keep the State Street Promenade closed to vehicles at least through 2026.
• Also, Carpinteria approved the Rincon Trail and SB County secured funding for pedestrian/bike path connections in Summerland and Montecito.
• In Ventura, the Sierra Club funded interpretive signs for the Cabrillo Bike Path.
• We saw progress on our goal of 100% electric buses. In October, SB MTD’s got its first 40-foot all battery-electric bus and celebrated the installation of 14 new heavy-duty EV chargers. The Guadalupe also got an electric bus in September.
• Celebrated the draft designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary that would stretch along 134 miles of coastline and encompass more than 5,600 square miles of water off of the Central California coast. We are urging its passage by the federal government to adhere to the Chumash tribes preference.
• Pleased that construction began on the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Overpass over the 101 freeway in Agoura.
• Intervened to defend Ventura oil regulations and setbacks in the General Plan. When Ventura County settled with oil companies, we rallied to oppose weakening the regulations. Sierra Club has also endorsed cavsbigoil.com which is the effort to defend statewide setbacks between oil drilling and homes and schools that will be on the ballot in 2024. 
• Saw some legislative victories, notably passing AB 421 which makes much-needed reforms in the referendum process to curb widespread fraud and abuse. It makes it clear to voters what they are voting for and who funded the anti-setbacks campaign. This is a huge win for the labor and environmental communities.