Talk of limiting greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources — primarily oil drilling operations — in Santa Barbara County erupted in November 2013 with the controversial approval of Santa Maria Energy’s 136 cyclic steam-injection wells, the largest project to hit the county in years. Since that green light and amid last year’s Measure P debate, county officials have been working on developing a formal emissions ceiling that, if surpassed, would necessitate that companies buy offsets until they fall under the ceiling.
That process took a significant step forward last week, with the county Planning Commission holding its first discussion on what ceiling to impose; this spring, the Board of Supervisors will consider whichever limit the commissioners choose. Also last week, an advisory group — composed of appointees with varied backgrounds — to the county’s Air Pollution Control District (APCD) deliberated over the district’s own proposed thresholds, which would apply to projects where the APCD takes the lead; the district’s Board of Directors will continue that talk in April.
County staff have encouraged the Planning Commission to consider a 10,000-metric-ton flat limit, which was used on Santa Maria Energy’s project. The limit — only applicable to new operations — would see that bigger projects reduced their pollution without requiring smaller projects with minimal emissions to have to purchase reduction credits.