The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is getting ready to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a proposed update to the Santa Clara Unit Development and Production Plan (DPP) to analyze the potential impacts of well stimulation treatments, including hydraulic fracturing, in drilling activity at 16 wells on oil and gas Platform Gilda, located 8.8 miles west of Oxnard Shores and due south of Rincon.
Please click here to submit comments before March 30th. The short comment period for this fast-tracked proposal sets some dangerous precedents for abbreviated public notice, lack of agency transparency, the misuse of BOEM’s new internal guidelines for weakening NEPA disclosure of project impacts, avoidance of adverse impacts when possible, and evaluation of the effectiveness of potential mitigations.
Fracking offshore exposes California’s coastline and communities to profound harm. Chemicals used in offshore fracking pose significant health risks to people and wildlife; these include reproductive harm, neurotoxicity, cancer and even death. According to a scientific review of chemicals used for fracking off California (before it was prohibited), at least 10 could kill or harm a broad variety of marine species, including sea otters, fish and benthic invertebrates. Even if some of the well-treatment chemicals are reinjected after fracking, spills and wastewater discharges create a pathway for environmental contamination. This poses risks to blue whales, sea otters, commercial fisheries, and coastal tourism.
Fracking will also increase air pollution. Many chemicals emitted during fracking are designated as hazardous air pollutants, which can enter the air during the venting of gases during fracking or the evaporation of chemicals from fracking, leading to dangerous human exposures. Fracking will also increase oil and gas production, polluting communities that live near processing and refining facilities. The extraction, transport, and combustion of additional offshore oil will also produce substantial carbon pollution, deepening our climate crisis—emissions that are entirely avoidable.
Offshore fracking increases the likelihood of an oil spill by subjecting wells, casings, and aging platform infrastructure to additional pressure, chemical exposure, and mechanical stress. Any oil spill in this region would be devastating. Even small releases can cause harm to this sensitive region that provides important habitat to endangered species, including whales, seabirds, and fish. BOEM must fully examine these risks, including worstcase discharge scenarios, and the longterm ecological and economic harm that a single accident could inflict on California’s coast.
Please join Surfrider, CBD, and EDC in saying no to fracking in the Santa Barbara Channel! Also, please note this is separate from the comment periods for the Trump administration's 5-year offshore oil drilling plan. We expect the next comment period for the 5-year plan, which targets California, to open in April.
Bill is excited to help chapters in the Central Coast region tackle pollution issues that are affecting the marine environment. I grew up on the East Coast and was fortunate to have grandparents who lived near the beach in Delaware. At the age of six, I wanted to be like my big brother so I ‘borrowed’ his surfboard at every chance and caught the surfing bug early on. All my early memories are of clean beaches but later in high school and through college I started to see and feel the impact of litter and pollution. When I moved to California after college, I wanted to volunteer for an environmental organization and Surfrider was a perfect fit. After years of volunteering, I applied for a job with the San Diego Chapter, where I worked for over five years, followed by a couple of years as the Rise Above Plastics program coordinator. Now, I am stoked to be helping Surfrider chapters in Southern California fulfill the mission. Surfrider is an easy place to get involved and make a positive impact to protect our coasts, so I encourage you to help out with your local chapter and make a difference!