An ordinance being considered by the Kern County Board of Supervisors would fast track almost 70,000 new oil and gas wells without any meaningful environmental oversight—nearly doubling the number of wells that already exist there, according to an action alert from the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (CRPE) and the Sunflower Alliance.
The southern Central Valley has some of the worst air pollution in the nation, with oil and gas production a leading cause. Kern County is home to about 80 percent of California’s oil and gas production, even without the proposed increase.
More than 71,000 people already live within 2,500 feet of oil and gas wells. The proposed ordinance promoted by the oil industry would be a disaster for residents’ health, and for California’s climate goals.
Here are four ways you can take action:
- Register to attend the virtual February 11 Planning Commission meeting. If you want to provide a public comment during the meeting, you must register by 5 pm the day before (Wednesday, February 10): call the Planning Commission Clerk of Communications at 661-862-8647 and provide your name, phone number, along with the agenda item number of this issue. You can find that agenda number on the commission’s website once it’s posted 48 hours in advance of the meeting. Or check CRPE’s Facebook page within the same time frame.
- Submit a voicemail comment to the Planning Commission through a #StandWithKern comment line: 1-844-332-1339. These voicemails will be played during their February 11 meeting.
- Sign a petition to the Kern County Board of Supervisors and Governor Newsom.
Here’s a fact sheet to assist with talking points.
WHEN
Planning Commission meeting:
Thursday, February 11, 7 PM
WHERE
https://www.youtube.com/user/KGOVTV or
Planning Commission website