Newsletter #46 Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Talking points for the Freeport Hearing Oct 22, 2014

TALKING POINTS

Here is the email address if anyone is unable to attend. planning@co.slo.ca.us Email it no later than Tuesday.

In the subject box
ATTENTION: HEARING OCT 22 AGENDA ITEM #14 FREEPORT MCMORAN.

The issue is:

“Arroyo Grande Oil fields Continued hearing to consider a request by FREEPORT-MCMORAN OIL & GAS for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to amend the previous CUP to extend the amount of time allowed to drill previously approved Phase IV oil wells (D010386D). This request would extend the current limit for an additional 3 years to install these previous approved wells (approximately 31 wells not yet installed). The project is located at 1821 Price Canyon Road (San Luis Obispo) on the east and west sides of Price Canyon Road, approximately 2.7 miles north of the City of Pismo Beach, in the South County planning area (San Luis Bay Inland sub area South). The Environmental Coordinator found that the previously certified Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) is adequate for the purposes of compliance with CEQA . CONTINUED FROM 9/10/2015.”

The points we need to make is that in fact the 10-year-old FEIR is NOT ADEQUATE. Personal experiences are always good too. Covers all the bases.

Some talking points. 1) We have them dead to rights on a flawed FEIR 10 years ago. 2) There was not a  emergency drought mandate in effect 10 years ago 3) Earthquakes were not considered 4) subsidence not mentioned. 5) Injecting billions of gallons of toxic waste into a protected aquifer is an ongoing illegal and unlawful activity in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

1) The United States EPA called DOGGR’s handling of the Underground Injection Program ‘Shocking.” Translation. There wasn’t one. No Underground Injection Control program in place at the time of the FEIR 10 years ago. It would appear this whole operation is in violation of the Safe Drinking Water and an illegal operation. Deny it.

Wells must meet standards and spec for re injection of waste water set by the yet to be implemented UIC program. DOGGR screwed up but that does not diminish the fact that it is still illegal and unlawful.

Underground Injection Control program was not addressed in the 2004 FEIR and predates the Energy Policy of 2005 which means the FEIR for PXP was in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2004 and still is. http://www.latimes.com/…/la-me-lawmakers-grill-oil-regulato… Deny it.

All the wells currently in production are doing so in violation of the law. What should really be happening here is a cease and desist order. An immediate moratorium on all illegal drilling operations at the AGOF.

The 2004 FEIR predates the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and violates all the laws on Clean Air, Clean Water, Safe Drinking Water Act, Resources Conservation and Recovery Act, The National Environmental Policy Act and the Community Right to Know Act that were exempted by the unlawful “Halliburton Loophole”. So NO the old FEIR is not adequate. Yes it should be denied.

http://www.desmogblog.com/…/not-hundreds-thousands-oil-indu…

http://www.latimes.com/…/la-me-lawmakers-grill-oil-regulato…

http://www.latimes.com/…/la-me-oil-report-health-20151009-s…

Oil Regulators Permitted Underground Injection Wells Before Assessing Water Pollution Threats

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/…/oil-waste-10-08-2015.h…

2) Earthquakes are a big deal and not addressed in the original EIR. Here are a couple of articles that could help educate the commissioners and Board members.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-096-03/

https://www.newscientist.com/…/dn28200-how-earthquakes-can…/

The California Council on Science and Technology’s EIR mandated by SB4 reported that the technology needed to accurately track, monitor, measure, subsurface activity to include earthquakes and re injected toxic waste water is at least 3 years down the road. Anything submitted about underground activity at this point in time is only a guessamation and does not qualify as accurate valid scientific data.

DOGGR relies entirely on data and reports on well and field operations from the operators. Self-regulating is how DOGGR works. For DOGGR to rely on information from an industry that has a history of violations, inadequate data and reporting procedures in no way satisfies DOGGR’s criteria to “prevent pollution, protect the environment and ensure public safety.”

DOGGR is understaffed and underfunded solely at the discretion of Governor Brown and he has made sure they cannot adequately perform their duties and prevent pollution and protect the environment. He just appointed an oiloyalists as the new executive director of DOGGR.
3) EIR report requires findings on subsistence. PXP’s FEIR does not address that issue. However, San Luis Obispo has a history of subsidence. Article below of 1987 case of subsidence in SLO.

http://grist.org/…/what-will-happen-to-a-sinking-californi…/

4) New DOGGR rules regulating and upgrading cement casings specs and waste disposal of toxic walnut shells and filters also absent from the outdated and outmoded EIR. Cement casings fail on average of 50% within the first year. New specs need to be enforced.

And just in case anyone is wondering who invented fracking, it was Halliburton as a way of getting rid of nuclear waste. So let us be clear here that when we are talking about re injecting toxic waste, enhanced and unconventional well stimulation that uses high-pressure steam injection of toxic waste underground we are talking fracking. http://www.wakingtimes.com/…/fracking-used-to-inject-nucle…/

And, this way of hiding toxic waste and avoiding scrutiny has worked for them for over 50 years. Time we wise up. It wasn’t safe then, it isn’t safe now and it will never be safe no matter how many exemptions they get.

5) California emergency drought mandates 25% cutback on non-essential water use. NASA reports California has 5 months of stored water left, that includes groundwater. San Luis Obispo County is under D4 restrictions. It is the highest Federal rating. We are hurting.

Freeport McMoRan’s non-essential water use will increase by 300% or over 1.5 billion gallons a year which also means an increase in their toxic waste disposal production which is going directly into a protected aquifer that is totally vulnerable to earthquakes and subsistence and any disturbance of the sub surface terrain could send billions of gallons of toxic waste water to undisclosed, unpredictable locations in an instant. Order the fields shut down.

The right to first refusal is still in our hands. We can refuse to allow the fossil fuel industry to force their exemptions and will on us by refusing to let them harvest our resources and use our precious water.

We have a different set of values and what is important to us is not important to them. So, No we will not waive our rights to clean air and water so they can dominate and capture our natural resources purely for their own personal enrichment.

NO is the new yes. At least 16 other countries, 3 other states, 5 counties and 13 municipalities in California have just said NO to fracking and won their freedom from all the deadly entrapment’s that are the Hallmark of the fossil fuel industry. YES.

This is the first in a series of hearings before the planning commission makes their final recommendation to deny or approve the whole, sorted, stinky, ugly, smelly, putrefied expansion to the Board of Supervisors.

Email response today. Please do it today or you will forget.

Always,
Jean’ne.

 

Lawmakers grill state oil regulators on oversight failures

latimes.com|By Los Angeles Times

Sh*t happens

And this is a good thing. It is a normal bodily function that eliminates toxins and wastes in the body. The problem is when this normal bodily function malfunctions and we experience too much or none at all. Diarrhea and constipation can be life threatening.

We generally don’t think too much about what causes these problem until it becomes a problem. We are careful and try to avoid those situations we know will be a problem, like don’t drink the water in certain places which will give you a real run for your money or certain medications like Vicodin that will get rid of one kind of  pain  and cause a whole other pain in the rear.

Why am I bringing this up? Just to show I guess that avoiding situations we know are going to cause problems is always the best solution. We can’t always know what is going to trigger the trots or shut the whole process down completely. Food poisoning is one of those things we can’t know ahead of time and would avoid if we could.

And sometimes we know just more fiber or water will cure what is ailing us and then the good thing we want to happen, happens.  And we are happy campers again.

So, the moral of this story I guess is, consider the source of this infamous saying, sh*t happens. And if the source is someone trying to tell us their sh*t is going to cause diarrhea or constipation and that is a good thing we can tell them to Shell it up their rear-in. We know better.

Someone in particular was on my mind when I wrote this because they are using that phrase as a reason why we need to love and embrace their product. Their product is fossil fuels and the someone is Halliburton.

Their product causes violent uncontrollable spewing of toxic waste from sea to shining sea and they are proud and delighted to be able to shove it down our throats. I guess this was just my kind and gentle way of agreeing that yes sh*ts happens and yes it is their sh*t that causes problems I don’t want anything to do with because I know better.  In other words,  they can take their fossil fuel BM and put it where the sun don’t shine.

Newsletter #44 -If anyone is keeping score chalk this one up in the plus column

Re: County Board of Supervisor’s vote to partner up Santa Barbara and Ventura county to do a feasibility study on Community Choice Energy the vote was 3-2 in favor of the study.

Hill – Gibson – Mecham -Yes

Compton- Arnold – No

“Four years ago a handful of community minded leaders came together to educate our political leaders about Community Choice Energy. Today, the County Board passed a resolution to Explore this powerful tool. Thank you everyone that has offered a kind word or encouragement and came out to support this vision. It has helped sustain the hope that made today’s vote possible. We are creating a beautiful future for SLO County.” Scott Mann.

To SLO Clean Energy that has kept this issue alive and well for 4 long years thank you, thank you, thank you.  Power of loving, caring people rules!!!!!    Let them know.

 

And it seems there are 3 Board of Supervisors that fall into that category this time around and deserve a hearty thank you too. Credit where credit is due.  Let them know we really appreciate it when they do the right thing and we are keeping score. 🙂

 

Supervisor Frank Mecham (District 1)
fmecham@co.slo.ca.us

Supervisor Bruce Gibson (District 2)
bgibson@co.slo.ca.us

Supervisor Adam Hill (District 3)
ahill@co.slo.ca.us

Supervisor Lynn Compton (District 4)
lcompton@co.slo.ca.us

Supervisor Debbie Arnold (District 5)
darnold@co.slo.ca.us

 

Next up is the Planning Department’s hearing on Oct 22nd to extend an expired 10-year-old conditional use permit on 31 outdated, outmoded, oil wells at the Arroyo Grande Oil Fields.

 

Our letters and input made a difference and the planning department is taking another look at the issues we raised.  We are going to make it very easy for them to do the right thing.

It’s simple. This is all about keeping our water, air and living environment safe.   So, until and when the applicant, Freeport McMoRan, can produce all the proper and necessary certified documentation signed, sealed and delivered to the Planning Dept. with an official stamp from the agency in charge of issuing certification that officially recognizes the Freeport project meets all the health and safety standards set by the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, The Safe Drinking Water Act and the California Constitution Article 10 section 2, the project is denied.  It’s just that simple.

Official is a driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, death certificate, health certificate, liquor license, notice to appear, we all  know what official looks like.  Have seen nothing that looks even remotely official as to meeting safety and health standards.  It’s just that simple. Officially certified as safe.

Permission to extract limited scarce water from the local protected aquifer and dispose of the toxic, hazardous, known to cause cancer, by-product into the ground is denied.  It’s just that simple.

Did you know our Board of Supervisors, planning Dept  approved SLO County as an official toxic waste disposal site?   Me either.  I don’t think we are. So,  until  those documents  can be produce  permit to dump toxic waste  into our back yard is denied.   It’s just that simple.

And just for the record this community reserves the right to refuse to do business with any entity that refuses to meet all the State and Federal Health and Safety standards set by law in the Clean Air, Water and the Safe Drinking Water Acts and California State Constitution Article 10 section 2.  It’s just that simple.

Another local group of residents that are adjacent to and have been and are being directly impacted by the activities at the Freeport facility are organizing and speaking out. We are joining together and speaking as one. We all want safe.

And finally,

I had occasion to attend a Stop the Frack Attack workshop and rally in Denver Colorado over the week-end. We stopped off at the Halliburton headquarters to deliver a message.  The message is:  We are done with you Halliburton. You stink. We don’t want your smelly, stinky, ugly, dirty, noisy, sickening, toxic, dangerous oil drilling rigs in our back yard any more. We want something better. We deserve something better. We have something better. It’s clean and safe.  Hello Sun and  Wind.  Good-bye dead and putrefied.  It’s over Halliburton. You are a waste of space.  No more for you.

I can’t tell you how good that felt.

Will get talking points off to you all in the next couple of days.

upward on onward.

Always,

Jean’ne