San Benito County residents will have a chance to continue a dialogue with county supervisors about oil and gas wells at a public workshop at 6 p.m. Thursday in the supervisors chambers.
While county planning staff members brought forth a proposed revision to the existing oil and gas well ordinance for the county on Oct. 16, the supervisors decided not to make any changes to the ordinance without allowing an opportunity for residents to speak about it in a forum dedicated solely to the issue. They also agreed to create a committee that will include stakeholders such as local residents, county or city officials, and representatives from the oil industry.
In the proposed ordinance presented before the board of supervisors Oct. 16, Byron Turner, a county planner, said the revisions were largely based on ordinances from Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.
“It establishes a petroleum administrator, limits enhanced recovery and greatly expands materials required for drilling,” Turner said.
The planning staff brought forth the proposed amendments to the existing ordinance, which increased it from a five-page document to 36 pages after supervisors directed them to look into how long it would take to redo an ordinance and if it was legal to put a moratorium on new oil wells while the ordinance was being revised. Residents in the Aromas area attended the earlier meeting and asked for a moratorium while supervisors explored an ordinance to ban hydraulic fracturing.
“This is a lot to absorb – a lot of information – but this is a great first start,” said Supervisor Robert Rivas, in regard to the suggested ordinance.
Rivas suggested an evening meeting devoted to the topic.
“I want any residents to know the impact on their lives,” Rivas said, noting they could invite representatives of the oil industry as well as residents.
A representative of the California Independent Petroleum Association urged the supervisors not to adopt the new ordinance because San Benito County produces a much smaller amount of oil than Santa Barbara County. Ralph Combs said the county would not earn enough income from oil to cover the cost of a petroleum administrator.
“CIPA appreciates the efforts to bring the proposal forward, but it can be a very complicated industry and it is a complicated ordinance,” Combs said. “We should take time to meet and educate each other about the needs of the county and industry.”
Supervisor Jerry Muenzer expressed the same concerns about the cost to the county.
“We have six active oil wells that generate about $1,000 in property tax,” he said. “I hope we are not going off the deep end on a little issue.”
About half a dozen residents also spoke during the meeting. Most of them said they supported the evening meeting so more residents could attend.
“We already have a water shortage,” one resident said. “We can’t afford to trade water for oil or gas. We need to shift to alternative energy. The better they get at extracting oil, the sooner it will be depleted.”
One resident said she was against creating a committee to discuss the issue because she was concerned high-paid oil lobbyists would be able to sway the supervisors.
“I like the idea of a workshop,” said Supervisor Margie Barrios. “It doesn’t need to be a public hearing, and I’d like to see an inclusive committee.”
Supervisors agreed to hold the workshop first and then form the committee to review the ideas shared at the workshop.
Citadel Exploration, an oil company that has existing drills in the community, will host its own public information meeting Nov. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Veterans Memorial Building.
