Things have been shaking in these parts
lately. The big quakes in the Ridgecrest-Trona area, far east from our local
San Andres fault, have snapped large water well casings like toothpicks,
according to a hydrogeologist in that area. Chevron just spilled 800,000
gallons of oil and water (240,000 gallons of oil) into ravines and creeks in
the Cymric oil field between Bakersfield and the San Andres fault. What would
happen to all their high pressure steam oil wells when the San Andres lets
loose?
Santa Barbara has a hundred or so of these
dangerous "steam wells” going through our drinking water aquifers, and
three oil companies are now pressuring county authorities to let them drill
several hundred more of these potential water-polluting wells. A big quake is
due in our area. Is it time to create more pollution risks to our water supply
and air? Should we be backing off oil and gas development and building up solar
and wind energy production at these oil facilities?
Contact your county supervisor soon and tell
them to stop more oil production that endangers our water, air, health, and
climate. Stop the Cat Canyon oil projects and dumping more waste into our
aquifers. Stop Exxon’s oil truck transport in the South County and the
attendant new oil pipeline that will run past my neighborhood and elementary
school. Stop the new oil fracking projects on our federal lands that are being
pushed by the White House.