Local residents and stakeholders from outside San Benito County took an opportunity to share their thoughts on proposed amendments to an oil and gas ordinance, speaking for more than two hours Tuesday.
“We received significant input at the 11th hour,” said Gary Armstrong, the director of planning.
Many of the letters or comments received after the item was put on the county board agenda regarded concerns of the San Benito County ordinance may conflict with state regulations.
The recent meeting brought out San Benito County residents as well as outsiders with an interest in the ordinance, such as the California Independent Petroleum Association, the Monterey Coast Keepers and the Center for Biological Diversity.
“The new ordinance is 25 and a half pages,” said Jim Paxton, whose family owns property in South County with existing oil wells. “The current ordinance is four and a half pages. The additional regulations will make it difficult to sustain jobs in the county.”
Peter DeMatco, of the Center for Biological Diversity, said the county is within its legal rights to approve the draft ordinance presented, though some oil companies have said it would lead to conflict with state regulations. Some of the proposed additions to the ordinance include:
– Disposal of “drilling ejecta” and recovered water should be addressed.
– Ability to hire experts through mitigation fees
– Require disclosure of chemicals used at time of application
– Notification of change of any kind (depth of well, method of extraction, ownership)
– Baseline water testing is required and future water testing should be specific for the chemicals they are using.
– Bond, letter of credit, or suitable surety should be tied to the owner of the mineral/oil rights, not the property owner.
