oil and gas

Fracking has been a hot topic ever since the Trump administration released an environmental review about the possibility of expanding hydraulic fracturing on federal lands in Central California. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held three public meetings on the review; on May 21 in Bakersfield, May 22 in San Luis Obispo and May 23 in Santa Barbara.

More than 100 local elected officials across California sent a letter to Governor Jerry Brown this week calling for a statewide plan “to phase out oil and gas drilling.” The letter included names of some recognizable Central Coast public figures.

If you've been to the pump recently on the Central Coast, you've probably noticed higher-than-usual gas prices. For weeks, prices have been hovering around the $4.00/gallon mark, and now it's up to $4.29 for regular unleaded in Cambria. 

The energy company Venoco announced it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company told the California State Lands Commission it no longer has the financial means to continue operating its oil platform in the Santa Barbara Channel. 

An oil company with a significant presence in the Santa Barbara Channel is skipping a $13.7 million interest payment due this week. 

The non-partisan San Luis Obispo County League of Women Voters took a stand this summer against the proposed Phillips 66 oil train project.

Two powerful women in Congress are making a push for more stringent oil industry safety standards on the Central Coast. 

A pair of Central Coast lawmakers are working on a set of new bills to address concerns following last month's oil spill on the Santa Barbara coast.

State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) said Tuesday that she'll soon introduce two new pieces of legislation. One will cover rapid clean-up response and the other will address oil pipeline inspections.

Assembly Member Das Williams (D-Carpinteria) said he's addressing the issue of pipeline technology, including the addition of automatic shut-off valves.

Gas prices on the Central Coast are nearly 30 cents higher per-gallon than they were just a week ago. Statewide they've jumped 44 cents per-gallon over the past two weeks.

As of Thursday, a gallon of regular unleaded in San Luis Obispo County was going for $3.64, that's up from $3.34 last week, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. In Santa Barbara County, those numbers jumped from $3.23 to $3.56.

Revamping the state's oil and gas watchdog group will be the topic of discussion in Sacramento next week.

The push comes from a Central Coast politician who wants to see far more oversight of local drilling operations. State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson said the watchdog group has not been doing its job of protecting and informing the public.

Santa Barbara County and City leaders will be take part in a community meeting Monday night to discuss the proposed Phillips 66 oil train project.

A growing number of districts and municipalities up and down the California coast, including several cities and counties, are writing to the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission to express concern over the plan. All are situated along Union Pacific rail lines that could potentially carry the additional tanker cars.

A steep jump in gas prices along the Central Coast is likely to continue for the time being. Maria Montgomery with AAA says the rise has mostly been fueled by problems in Southern California.

"We've seen prices rise in the Central Coast area over a dollar in the last month and it is primary because a local refinery in Torrance has been affected by an explosion and that has sent wholesale prices skyrocketing," said Montgomery.

A new bill up for consideration in Sacramento is aimed at protecting groundwater from oil and gas drilling operations.

Central Coast Assembly Member Das Williams (D-Carpinteria) introduced AB-356 on Tuesday. It would require monitoring near Class II injection wells.

Currently, there are nearly 42,000 oil field injection wells operating in the state, according to the California Department of Conservation. These wells are designed to increase oil recovery and "safely dispose of the salt and fresh water produced with oil and natural gas" the department states.

Representatives from the "Yes On P" Campaign conceded early Tuesday night, with initial numbers showing a strong lead for opposition of the Measure. They say the campaign was the "beginning on the fight-- not the end."

Measure P was designed to ban the use of high-intensity oil extraction methods--including fracking, acidizing, and steam injection-- by future oil and gas projects on unincorporated Santa Barbara County land.