AnonymousBy Rachel Altman of Santa Barbara
Three oil companies (AERA, ERG, and PetroRock) have proposed to drill 768 new oil wells in Cat Canyon, through the Santa Maria groundwater basin, which provides drinking water to 200,000 people in 12 cities. The chemical-filled wastewater will be injected back into the ground, compromising the safety and health of the aquifer.
Meanwhile, Shell/Exxon/Mobil (who owns AERA) is trying to convince the public that we need the oil industry to maintain our economy. In the recent mid-term election, costly advertisements “dripping in oil” convinced voters to defeat common sense anti-fracking set-backs, and drilling measures in Washington, Colorado, and our own San Luis Obispo County.
I ask our Board of Supervisors to look at the facts. According to the US Department of Labor, oil production provides the most dangerous of all blue-collar jobs, and studies have shown that for every job in the oil and gas industry, there are 14 more potential jobs in renewables. Renewable energy is creating jobs 12 times faster than the rest of the economy and employs more people in the U.S. than fossil fuels
The choice is between the health of our community and the wealth of the “oil-igarchy.” Take action: Write to our Board of Supervisors (dwilliams@countyofsb.org, ghart@countyofsb.org,jhartmann@countyofsb.org, peter.adam@countyofsb.org, steve.lavagnino@countyofsb.org
To read the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on AERA’s project: http://
To learn more:
- http://www.
safeenergynow.org/ - https://www.sierraclub.org/
los-padres/santa-barbara/ fighting-fracking-and-extreme- oil - http://350sb.org/no-new-oil-
wells/ - https://www.facebook.com/
SantaBarbaraStandingRockCoalit ion/ - https://www.foodandwaterwatch.
org/state/california
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GOO and that means on land, too.
Fourteen times the number of people to generate our energy? Good idea. Let’s go back to mining coal with shovels.
And yet you oilies always tout jobs. But, then, you’re not too big on logical thinking.
Fallacious argument. We should stop using petroleum for fuel entirely, no matter where the backyard is.
Rachel: Thanks for posting this. People need to know.
I don’t know why anyone would think we have some of “the most stringent environmental protection requirements in the world.” And the oil companies follow all the “requirements”, even the ones you think are “in place”? Oh right, in your dreams! That is what British Petroleum told Congress, the year before they exploded, killed 11 workers and devastated the coast and waters. The year before the disaster they spent 16mil on lobbyists to kill any more safety rules from Congress. Their battle cry was, “There will never be another Santa Barbara.” There is absolutely no way in h##l they can keep from contaminating ground water.
I understand the drivers of the manipulative media process that AERA has initiated. Everyone needs to remember what drives business behavior. It’s not public service or good feelings or being a good neighbor. It’s money, pure and simple. The reason oil companies are trying to restart these hazardous oil fields is just that: MONEY. A d what drives the sweet neighborly articles that are appearing in our county media? Their business strategy for modeling public opinion to fit the company’s financial goals. Their contributions to churches, schools and elected officials are driven by the same motivation: long term financial goals. Do they really care about the increased asthma, illness and cancer they will create. Nope. It’s collateral damage arising from their financial goals. The stories from their strategy consultant appear because he is PAID for the slim he creates. The force that is resisting the damaging effects of extreme oil extraction is not motivated by greed or long term financial goals; it’s motivated instead, not only by self protection but also by concern for others. It’s motivated by the desire to protect our air, water and health. It’s time to wake up to the reality of who and what the oil companies are. They do not belong in out county. Their jobs can be transitioned to jobs that benefit rather than barn the county. This is a battle for our future. Game on, Guys and Gals. The Force is RISING!
CORRECTED COMMENT: I understand the drivers of the manipulative media process that AERA has initiated. Everyone needs to remember what drives business behavior. It’s not public service or good feelings or being a good neighbor. It’s money, pure and simple. The reason oil companies are trying to restart these hazardous oil fields is just that: MONEY. And what drives the sweet neighborly articles by AERA that are appearing in our county media? Their business strategy for molding public opinion to fit the company’s financial goals. Their contributions to churches, schools and elected officials are driven by the same motivation: long term financial goals. Do they really care about the increased asthma, illness and cancer they will create. Nope. It’s collateral damage arising from their financial goals. The stories from their strategy consultant appear because he is PAID for the spin he creates. The force that is resisting the damaging effects of extreme oil extraction is not motivated by greed or long term financial goals; it’s motivated instead, not only by self protection but also by concern for others. It’s motivated by the desire to protect our air, water and health. It’s time to wake up to the reality of who and what the oil companies are. They do not belong in our county if they are going to damage our air, water and health. Their jobs can be transitioned to jobs that benefit rather than harm the county. This is a battle for our future. Game on, Guys and Gals. The Force is RISING!
Oil companies spent somewhere near $6 million to defeat the SLO anti-fracking/chemical steam injection methods in the recent election, and they got a shill of a Republican assemblyman back to Sacramento, one of a very small group of Republicans now in the Assembly who will continue to shill for dirty fossil fuels we don’t need.
As long as we continue to utilize fossil fuels, we’re being environmentally hypocritical not allowing drilling for fossil fuels in our backyard, with some of the most stringent environmental protection requirements in the world. Instead, people want this resource we utilize on a daily basis extracted in other parts of the world via more environmentally unsound ways, with little or no regard for that local population. NIMBY hypocrites.
That doesn’t make it okay to use the resource but pollute someone elses groundwater. Reduce the demand for the resource and they’ll stop drilling. While we’re on the topic of protecting groundwater, why do we support growing water intensive crops in our arid climate? Sucking up our limited ground water for profit to grow crops that shouldn’t be grown in a near desert is just as bad as the potential oil contamination.