Aromas Cares for the Environment (ACE) can agree with Robert Frusetta on one thing he wrote in his Op Ed piece that ran in a recent edition of the Free Lance – we can safely develop our domestic energy in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. But we don’t share his view that Kentucky-style environmental standards would be acceptable to the residents of San Benito County.
The community of Aromas became concerned when huge oil prospecting seismic thumper trucks started shaking up our neighborhoods. We’ve all read about the problems that people in other parts of the country have experienced when large scale hydraulic fracturing (fracking) arrived at their doorsteps with no warning.
As ACE leaders began educating ourselves we discovered that the federal, state and local safeguards on oil and gas drilling were largely written by the industry and are weak. We found out that our county ordinance was written decades ago. ACE approached our county supervisor, Anthony Botelho, and started working cooperatively with the county on writing a new ordinance. At the first hearing before the board of supervisors, lobbyists for the oil industry showed up and pushed back against any new safeguards. The oil industry operates the biggest, best funded lobbying machine in the world. Their lobbyist filed a 900-page legal treatise claiming that the county had no jurisdiction. Their threat to use their immense financial clout to sue the county was anything but subtle. One might ask whose interests Mr. Frusetta is representing.
County supervisors did the right thing. They knew the oil industry’s threats were a bully’s bluff, not based on solid legal opinions. Supervisors met with interested citizens and representatives of the industry to craft a new ordinance.
When ACE leaders saw the powerful outside forces that were lined up against us, we reached out to various environmental organizations for advice and support. There were a lot of technical issues for us to understand, and our outreach put us in touch with citizens groups all over the state who have similar concerns. The Center for Biological Diversity submitted some well researched suggestions on how the Supervisors could improve the proposed ordinance. Some of these were incorporated into the ordinance and the supervisors thanked the CBD for its participation. The CBD also appealed to the Board of Supervisors the recent Planning Commission approval of a new oil drilling project. CBD didn’t think the impacts had been examined closely enough. Several long time south county residents who are neighbors of this drilling project showed up with concerns about possible effects on their well water. Because of CBD’s appeal, Supervisor Jerry Muenzer was able to add some requirements for groundwater testing, addressing his constituents’ concerns.
The price of oil is up, and new technologies are being rolled out to access oil that was previously out of reach. There’s an oil boom in this country. If the seismic thumper trucks had been shaking the ground under your house, you probably would have attended each and every hearing the Supervisors held. If you read the ordinance that is up for final approval Tuesday, June 18, I’m sure you will find it measured and reasonable. No one wants their water fouled or depleted, their air contaminated with petroleum fumes or chemicals, noisy oil drilling rigs working 24 hours a day right outside their door, or truck traffic beyond what a particular road can handle. Petroleum extraction is a major industrial operation. If the boom comes to San Benito County, we want to be ready with reasonable standards that safeguard our quality of life.
Seth Capron is a member to the Steering Committee of Aromas Cares for our Environment.
