AnonymousSource: Environmental Defense Center
Opponents of a proposed expansion of the Cat Canyon aquifer exemption that would help pave the way for more than 700 new wells in Santa Barbara’s Cat Canyon oil field held a rally [Wednesday] before giving public comments at a hearing by regulators.
Oil operators are seeking to exempt aquifers under Cat Canyon from protections under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, allowing them to dispose of wastewater underground and inject steam for oil production. Northern Santa Barbara County residents depend on groundwater for their drinking water and agricultural production. Groups are against the agencies’ consideration of the proposal before the release of the U.S. Geological Survey’s forthcoming data on the groundwater quality in Cat Canyon oil field. Nevertheless, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the ultimate decisionmaker and if it approves the exemption, it could open the door for more oil and gas projects in our County.
“Access to clean water is a human right,” said Ana Rosa Rizo-Centino, senior Central Coast organizer with Food & Water Watch. “The Safe Drinking Water Act exists to protect families from toxic pollutants. Approving this aquifer exemption would needlessly put North County families at risk and make a mockery of the responsibility of regulators to public health.”
The proposed aquifer exemption would allow underground disposal of oil wastewater, which can contain benzene, toluene and other cancer-causing chemicals. The U.S. Geological Survey recently found evidence of groundwater contamination in the neighboring Orcutt oil field.
“We cannot ignore the fact that recent data from the U.S. Geological Survey confirms that oil-field fluids have contaminated our local groundwater resources,” saidTara Messing, Staff Attorney for the Environmental Defense Center. “Oil operators must not be allowed to bypass legal protections for safe drinking water and inject their toxic wastewater into our basin, threatening our valuable groundwater resources.”
Lane Clark, president of the board of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) in Santa Barbara said his interfaith alliance could not support putting the groundwater at risk.
“The fact that the companies poised to reap huge profits from the drilling are requesting exemptions from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulations shows that they are not acting for the benefit of local communities,” said Clark. “As people of faith, we have a moral responsibility to change course, and do all that is within our power to protect the long-term habitability of our one and only earth for all species that belong to her.”
Others sounded the alarm about dramatically increasing oil production in the County.
“We’re in a climate crisis and simply can’t drill any more wells, yet this proposal could more than triple dirty onshore oil production in Santa Barbara County,” said Lauren Packard, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “You can be sure Trump’s EPA will rubberstamp this giveaway to the oil industry. That’s why Governor Newsom must intervene to stop this dangerous plan.”
Local residents and advocates planned to testify at the hearing before California’s Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, the State Water Resources Control Board and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The public has until June 20th to submit written comments.
We are in a very bad time for environmental issues to get justice. If I were a gambler I’d bet the EPA will definitely give the okay to go ahead and put drinking water in jeopardy for the sake of oil companies getting their drilling/fracking permits. “Love of money is the root of all evil”.
Being one who cares about our clean air and clean water and always has cared, I have never operated under the delusion that being an enviromentalist would be anything other than difficult. Being green and caring about planet Earth has always been an uphill battle. Thank goodness for those who speak up and put so much energy into defending our right to have clean everything. They are true heroes. Greed is not the only enemy, but also power and massive amounts of ignorance and denial. My favorite anti-environment line is “If we didn’t do it, someone else would.” It never ceases to amaze me how so many humans don’t get that our resources are finite and that we’re all in this together.
Those who would benefit from the oil company actions won’t live with the results if it’s allowed. Purely money & power flowing into cynical hands with no regard to anything but themself.