Federal lands on the Central Coast will soon be up for lease to oil companies for dangerous drilling and extraction processes. As our counties strive to reduce the water, land, and air impacts of extreme oil drilling in county-controlled areas, the feds rush to push drilling on our federal lands.
Federal agencies are greasing the regulatory skids to cram big new oil development down our throats. Soon the Federal Bureau of Land Management will approve hastily prepared environmental impact statements, allowing oil drilling and fracking at Montaña de Oro State Park, Morro Rock, and parcels near the Carrizo Plain, Lake Nacimiento, and Camp Roberts.
A U.S. Geological Survey report, published in September’s Environmental Geosciences, confirms the polluting impacts on Central Coast groundwater aquifers from cyclic steam injection, waste water injection, and other high-intensity oil extraction processes.
Elections are coming. Ask your local and federal elected leaders how they’ll stop this impending rape of our water, land, air, and climate.
Our kids strive to protect our climate by urging us to slash fossil fuel use. What do we tell them in 20 years as they struggle to cope with a burning planet?
Larry Bishop
Buellton
This article appears in Oct 10-20, 2019.
People who are against oil drilling should make an effort to cut back their usage, and advocate for housing policies that don’t require people to make long commutes to work.