Oxnard City Council Raises Concerns About Potential Health Impacts From Proposed Oil and Gas Project

The Oxnard City Council voted unanimously last night to send a letter of concern to the Ventura County Planning Commission questioning the health effects of a proposed an oil and gas project in South Oxnard. The County failed to consider the potential health impacts to residents and farmworkers who live and work in and around the Cabrillo Oil Field when it gave preliminary approval to the operations in April.

The letter states, “The City Council of the City of Oxnard requests that the Commission carefully consider the health and safety of Oxnard residents in making its final decision” and “If the Commission is inclined to uphold the decision of the Planning Director, the City Council requests that the final conditions of approval ensure that the health and safety of Oxnard residents are fully and properly addressed.”

Food & Water Watch and Citizens for Responsible Oil and Gas (CFROG) asked the city council to support their appeal demanding that Ventura County address environmental justice issues in the review of this project. Last night’s letter of concern was the city council’s response.

Monica Diaz, a Ventura County Medical Center nurse representing the California Nurses’ Association, expressed her concern for the safety of residents saying, “as both a resident and a nurse I witness the effects of the abuse of the environment on our beautiful city of Oxnard. As nurses, we care for patients everyday affected by the environmental conditions in our community.”

Last spring, Ventura County Planning Director Kimberly Prillhart approved the project, which adds four new oil and gas wells to a pad surrounded by lettuce fields along Etting Road. Food & Water Watch and CFROG appealed the decision asking the Ventura County Planning Commission to send the project back to county planning staff for a full environmental review, taking into account health and environmental justice concerns of the surrounding community.

The project includes four new oil and gas wells, that would increase in oil tanker truck traffic, and an oil field waste and gas processing facility that would service the 20 wells in the Cabrillo Oil Field. Currently there is one active well and a flare on the drill pad surrounded by a lettuce field. The pad is about 1,600 feet from two mobile home parks.

The City Council’s decision on Tuesday evening to submit a letter to the Planning Commission is a victory over the fossil fuel industry in Oxnard and a signal for the rest of the state and county.

“CFROG applauds the City Council for letting the County know public health must be a primary concern when it approves oil and gas projects,” said Kimberly Rivers, Executive Director of CFROG. “Environmental justice has been missing from county land use planning –something we are working to change.”

“We’ve been going door to door and talked to thousands of residents in the area over the past few months and collected over 1,400 signatures in support of our appeal,” said Tomás Rebecchi Senior Organizer at Food & Water Watch. “Many residents have never heard about this proposal and are worried because they already suffer from the heavy use of pesticides and pollution from oil wells currently in the area.”

Numerous other organizations and individuals have signed on in support of the appeal demanding a full environmental impact review, including: The GOOD (Greater Oxnard Organization of Democrats) Club, CAUSE, Region 7 of the California Nurses Association, Ventura County Climate Hub, Craig Helmstedter, superintendent of the Ocean View School District, Oxnard City Councilman Oscar Madrigal, Vice-Chair of the California Democratic Party Daraka Larrimore-Hall, and Oxnard Mayor Pro-Tempore Carmen Ramirez.

A hearing before the Planning Commission is tentatively set for August, with an exact date to be announced. Food & Water Watch and CFROG will be holding a bilingual public forum on August 3, 6:30pm, at the Ocean View School District’s board room for questions and information.

Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free  SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing –DONATE