Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Votes On Phasing Out Oil And Gas Production
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - The Santa Barbara Coutny Board Of Supervisors voted on Phase One of its oil and gas prohibition today.
The vote came at the end of a lengthy hearing.
The hearing room at the Joseph Centeno Government Building was filled with oil workers, property owners, attorneys, and a coalition of environmentalists including a new youth organizing group.
“I am 16 and I've been doing environmental advocacy for two years, and that's put me in a lot of interesting boardrooms,” says Ethan Maday, president of 805Action. “It seems like there's always a big old clash between the environment and then economy and jobs and whatever it is. I don't think those arguments need to be separate.”
Over fifty requests for public comment were accommodated during the morning session.
“Our group has done a lot of research to better understand what the impacts of a phaseout will be,” says Paasha Mahdavi, UCSB Political Science Associate Professor. “We've analyzed the economic impacts, the health impacts, as well as other social impacts of phasing out oil versus continuing to produce business as usual.”
Coalition members advocated for environmental and public health, urging supervisors to approve the phase-out.
“Consistent with the state's overarching actions to transition off fossil fuels and towards a renewable energy future,” says Tara Rengifo, a senior attorney at the Environmental Defense Center.
Oil workers and property owners advocated for industries that depend on oil production, as well as mineral rights and land ownership.
“We all look forward to a clean energy future in California,” says Kevin Ivey, a mineral rights royalty owner. “We need California-produced, clean-energy, labor compliant, labor friendly energy to get there, and Santa Barbara County has a part to play in that in its oil production industry.”
Some supervisors sided with the environmentalists while others argued for the petroleum industry.
“The transition away from nonrenewable energies is really exciting, we really get to rewrite like the energy regime and the impacts that it has on our community members, on our public health,” says Haley Ehlers, spokesperson for Climate First Replacing Oil And Gas (CFROG).
Supervisor Lavagnino addressed the dichotomy of viewpoints, attributing it to significant economic and ecological differences between north and south county.
“16 years I've been trying to bring North and South County together,” said Lavagnino from the dais. “And why does it not work? Because of this issue. This is what is the dividing issue in this county.”
The board voted 3 to 2 approving amendments for Phase 1 of oil and gas prohibition, which will start by not allowing permits for the construction of any new wells.
“Unfortunately, three out of five supervisors today bought the good people of Santa Barbara County what's ultimately going to be a very expensive lawsuit,” says Ivey.
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