Organizations Sue Over Kern County Plan To Fast-Track Oil & Gas Drilling

By Jeremy Deaton

Environmental groups are suing Kern County, California over an ordinance that could clear the way for 40,000 new oil and gas wells in the next 15 years.

This is the county’s second attempt at fast-tracking drilling — a 2015 ordinance was struck down by a state appeals court because it failed to account for the full impact of drilling, violating state law.

The new ordinance would allow the county to weigh the impact of as many as 2,700 wells a year, helping to expedite drilling projects in the oil-rich region at the southern end of California’s Central Valley.

Opponents contend that the new ordinance would fail to account for health threats to the majority-Latino community, which is already one of the most polluted areas in the country (AP).

Article courtesy of Nexus Media, a nonprofit climate change news service.

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