On May 21, 2024, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted–to suspend further work on the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance (NCZO) and Coastal Zoning Ordinance (CZO) amendments that would:
1. Limit new discretionary Conditional Use Permits for oil and gas operations to 15 years,
2. Increase current County surety and insurance amounts for oil and gas compliance and restoration, and
3. Incorporate measures to promote timely permanent plugging and restoration of oil and gas wells idle for 15 years or more.
As a result, the project was removed from the Planning Division’s 2023-2026 Workplan with no further hearings scheduled. The BOS was ill advised by the new Resource Management Agency Director, Mullane, who expressed enough action is being taken by the state on the issue. It is important to note these ordinances’ development standards address issues such as setbacks, light and dust control, noise, signage, screening and fencing, waste handling, financial assurance and insurance requirements, accident reporting, site maintenance, condition compliance, and site restoration which are essential to protecting our communities.
Up until a few weeks ago, the amendments were scheduled to go to vote at the June 18th Board of Supervisors meeting. It is unfortunate that the removal of this highly controversial project was pulled without public input. Climate First: Replacing Oil & Gas (CFROG) was informed of its removal from a labor partner. Although the state is working to address this issue, there is no guarantee that funds will be allocated specifically to Ventura County. The estimated cost to properly plug and remediate all idle and orphan oil and gas wells statewide is $21.5 billion. Currently, California holds $153.3 million in surety and insurance bonds, which is less than 1% of the estimated statewide cost. In Ventura County alone, the estimated cost to properly plug idle and orphan oil and gas wells is a staggering $776 million. Current regulations allow major companies to pay only $10,000 in blanket bonds for hundreds of wells across our region, insufficient to cover the cost of plugging even one well. Consequently, taxpayers bear the financial burden of cleanup efforts due to these loopholes.
Massive opponents of these amendments include Aera (located in Ventura), Carbon California (which operates most wells in the Sespe Oil Field in Los Padres National Forest), ABA Energy, Western States Petroleum Association, Coalition of Labor Agriculture and Business (CoLAB), Renaissance Petroleum, Ventura County Taxpayers Association, and Ventura Chamber of Commerce.
While the news was unfortunate, we want to thank all of our previous supporters on the campaign to increase oil and gas surety & bonding and improve the permitting process. In an effort to pivot tactics, CFROG and Los Padres ForestWatch had a meeting with the new Resource Management Agency Director on Friday, June 14. During this meeting, we presented a sign-on letter showing broad support for county action on these items, given that there has been a significant amount of work, outreach, and community support around this issue in the last few years. We will continue to work with partners to push Ventura County to reinstate these crucial amendments. Ventura County must find policy solutions that protect our communities and environment from exposure to harmful pollution and prevent taxpayers from shouldering the responsibility for cleanup efforts they did not create.
Comments are closed.