Members of the Grover Beach City Council chose not to take sides on a ballot measure that would ban fracking and new oil and gas drilling in SLO County.
At a Sept. 17 meeting, the council voted 4-1 to remain neutral on taking a position on Measure G, which has become one of the most divisive countywide initiatives placed before local voters in November.
“I’m inclined to think that this is a decision for each of us as individuals to make in the county, and I don’t think I can speak for the community fairly by voting one way or the other,” Councilmember and mayoral candidate Debbie Peterson said.
Both supporters and detractors of the measure attended the meeting to make their case to the council. Those who wanted the measure to pass argued that it would protect the county’s groundwater and mitigate other harmful environmental impacts caused by fracking and oil drilling.
“Those who support this measure do not wish to see a very small group of people profit substantially while jeopardizing the water and quality of life for people in SLO County,” said Dominique Dashwood, a Cal Poly student and member of the Coalition to Protect San Luis Obispo County.
Opponents of Measure G claimed its passage would have a negative impact on the local economy and would result in the loss of jobs.
“The citizens of Grover Beach do not need some vocal environmentalists to set city policy,” Grover Beach resident Gene Quayle said. “Our citizens are intelligent enough to make their own decisions about oil production and Measure G.”
Councilmember Mariam Shah was the lone vote against remaining neutral. She was skeptical of claims that the measure would result in the loss of jobs, and raised concerns about fracking and drilling causing environmental disasters.
“If something terrible does happen and I had the chance to vote to stop it and didn’t, I don’t know if I could live with myself,” said Shah, who is running for re-election.
In addition, the council also voted unanimously to remain neutral on Proposition 10, a statewide ballot measure that would allow California municipalities to pass rent control ordinances by repealing decades-old legislation that imposed restrictions on rent control in the state. Δ
This article appears in Sep 20-30, 2018.
Thank you Mariam Shah for speaking her truth and voting her conscience. Hoping that other Council members will choose to endorse Measure G as individuals. Go to yesonmeasureg.org to see the list of endorsers and also find ways to support this citizen’s based effort to protect our precious groundwater resources and reduce greenhouse gases and climate change–while protecting current jobs in the oil industry.
Miram had it right when she made the compassionate statement to deny the Rail Terminal Project of Phillips 66 and she’s right again.
The supporters of fracking play to the cheap seats again and say its jobs…its a quality of life issue. Why would you want to play roulette with health and safety. Once the ground water is breached or contaminated…game over. Then think of the impact on the economy.
Sir Laurance, let’s have a little logical debate on some of the points you made. There is no fracking at the Arroyo Grande Oil Field. I feel like a broken record, but I’ll keep asking anyways… Since fracking has not been banned for the last 100 years while this field has been producing, why hasn’t it been fracked already?
I encourage anyone who reads this to ask the next Yes on G activist how fracking would benefit the oil companies. If they say it will help them make more oil, refer to the first question above. If fracking produced more oil in this field, wouldn’t “greedy” oil companies already be doing it here? I mean, fracking isn’t new technology and they’ve had 100 years to give it a shot in this field, so maybe it just doesn’t work the way the non-technical environmental activists say it does. Try to get some specifics out of the activists. I tried, and was unsuccessful.
So, if fracking isn’t the reason No on G exists, then we are left with the fact that it does impact jobs, and more importantly families. All the false hype around the ground water is meaningless because you cannot get past the fracking point made above. Prove me wrong, I’m all ears.