Edhat Staff
Oil platforms off Santa Barbara coast (file photo)
By edhat staff
Plains All-American Pipeline is proposing a plan to rebuild the corroded pipeline that led to an oil spill on Refugio State Beach in 2015.
Santa Barbara County hosted a public scoping meeting on Wednesday while the second meeting is scheduled for Thursday in Arroyo Grande. The meetings are in preparation for an environmental impact report (EIR) required under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Plains Pipeline has proposed a 124-mile oil pipeline across the Central Coast. It would allow ExxonMobil to reopen platforms off the Santa Barbara coast and would cross several areas of endangered species habitat in the Carrizo Plains and Los Padres National Forest.
On Wednesday, Plains released a statement to the media stating the scoping hearings are an early step in a lengthy process to permit and construct the new Lines 901R and 903R pipelines.
“We have the option to restart the existing pipeline, but we believe the best option for the region and our company is to replace the line with a new line that will be designed and built with additional safety features to meet today’s more stringent regulatory requirements for newly constructed pipelines. We’re confident this robust permitting process will support our plans to restore the safe transportation of locally produced crude oil to refineries throughout California,” said Steve Greig, Director of Government Affairs for Plains.
Plains further asserts that restoring the pipeline service provides a reliable transportation option and reduces the state’s reliance on crude oil produced outside California.
Protestors arrived at the Wednesday meeting and are expected for Thursday’s meeting as well. The Center for Biological Diversity has been a vocal opponent of Plains and joined the protests. “Plains caused California’s worst coastal oil spill in 25 years — and now it thinks it deserves a chance to spill again,” the Center’s Facebook page stated.
Thursday’s meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the South County Regional Center, 800 West Branch Street in Arroyo Grande.
GOO
The oil industry claims ‘stringent’ requirements. Oh sure. Greka has been under these ‘stringent requirements’ and look at their record. The Plains pipeline that burst was regulated by these ‘stringent’ requirements. And the biggest concern is Greka’s lawyer, Mike Stoker, is now the ‘fox guarding the henhouse’. Stoker heads the EPA in this area. The EPA, under Trump, is useless. Recent accounts of EPA say they are not enforcing many requirements. Thank you, protestors. Everyone needs to write or call the supervisors to insist no more dirty oil infrastructure. Focus on clean energy.
We need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.
By working with these companies, we can assure we have local control over environmental oversight which is already very strict. 50 years ago is in the past, stop the witch hunt already. Enough of the anti oil rhetoric.
WE NEED OIL. are all the protesters going to walk or ride their bikes to go protest?
Are politicians using Citizens to make this a partisan issue? We all drive cars regardless of our political positions.
An alliance with oil will provide jobs, bring in tax revenue to fund our schools and ever growing pensions as well as help keep our prices down at the pump.
It’s not oil OR the environment its oil for a healthier environment. California has the strictest operational standards in the country.
It’s time we support oil as part of the solution, not view it as a problem
Oil has been a very clean industry, when you add up all the time and volumes of delivery. They should be welcomed to continue their business. Far more birds get harmed daily by solar and wind power than ever harmed by the entire history of the local oil industry.
Can’t have it both ways: (1) unlimited tax revenue spending and (2) eliminating tax revenue generation. Do the math. Something has to give.
Many thanks to the protestors. Thank you for taking the time to protect our oceans and land. I love each and every one of you.
@FACTOTUM This year marks the 50th anniversary the 1969 platform A blowout. Do we owe a debt of gratitude to the “very clean industry” for its genesis of the environmental movement ?(No) Draft a letter of commendation to Greka for their 1000’s of violations and spills.(No) Kudos for abandoning Rincon island and its overpressure wells that the state taxpayers now have to decommission(No)
What’s wrong with having a new pipeline? You can’t truck all of this oil safely.
I see that the oil industry supporters are united in their down/up voting of comments. All 6 of you. LOL
Every single one of those signs in that photograph is covered in dyes that contain hydrocarbons. The clothes and the shoes that the people are wearing contain polymers which are made from hydrocarbons. You can bet that most of those people drive in vehicles that use energy derived from oil- yes electric cars use electricity that is largely generated from from hydrocarbons. Even the lowly bicycle has plastic parts and synthetic rubber tires that are made from oil. One more thing- not one single sign in that photograph proposes any kind of solution. What are we supposed to do power everything with unicorns?