Tag: san benito county

The more millions they fork out for advertising percussion, shows the more they're planning an oil invasion! If they didn't have the reputation of causing mutilation this race wouldn't take place.  

The latest television ads bought by the oil companies against Measure J really disturbed us. A man says he is an employee of a "local" oil business, speaks with an accent and claims that Measure J will leave him unemployed. But, according to the president of the local oil business Steve Coombs, of Patriot Resources, who described their oil recovery process to my husband and others at a meeting he attended; none of those practices that are currently being used would be banned by Measure J. Steve described needing to use acid to clean scale off an existing Class II injection well used for water flooding and waste water injection and to use acid to break up drilling mud in new well borers. These methods of acid used in well maintenance would not be banned by Measure J.

What I’ve noticed in this campaign blitz to defeat “Yes on Measure J” (because it’s obvious) is that there are several propaganda tactics being used by the No on J coalition to manipulate public opinion. The most obvious and insidious one is:

Local leadership on Measure J has been disappointing. Some local leaders say they support Measure J and some say they don't. And some don't have anything to say at all. Most are afraid that “fracking” is too controversial a subject to waste time on because of the negative social connotation the word conjures, even though fracking isn't proposed here in San Benito County.

There are about the same number of local school contests as in prior years but more candidates – and contests – for the special and city office races.

The No on Measure J side has raised more than $1.7 million for its campaign, while the yes side has raised about $120,000, according to campaign finance documents.

Before the county board OK'd placing Measure J on the ballot, supervisors had the option of delaying the process to conduct an economic analysis but chose to bypass that choice and send the proposal to voters. Without a county economic report to precede the November ballot decision – whether to ban hydraulic fracturing, cyclic steaming and acidizing as extraction techniques along with all petroleum activities in rural residential zones near the two cities – the local farm bureau went ahead and conducted a study of its own.

Who are the San Benito County residents involved in the debate over Measure J, a ballot initiative aiming to ban fracking and other enhanced recovery methods used by the oil industry?

Santa Clara County's Gilroy may be the garlic capital of the world, but at least three consecutive years of crop reports reveal San Benito County produces more of the stinking rose.