Kern Spill Renews Oil Production Controversy

By Derek Catron, CAPITOL WEEKLY

August 21, 2019

Kern spill renews oil production controversy

California has long been a top producer of oil. But that may change.

Some hope that change will accelerate under Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called for a decrease in the demand and supply of fossil fuels. A recent massive spill in Chevron’s Cymric oilfield in Kern County, about 35 miles west of Bakersfield, prompted  a major regulatory shakeup and could bolster that view.

The spill leaked intermittently off from May 10 to August 2, according to spokesman Eric Laughlin of the Unified Command, which is comprised of the state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, or DOGGR; the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Kern County Public Health Services Department, and Chevron USA, Inc.

Newsom was quick to reprimand DOGGR in the aftermath of the spill. The division is responsible for overseeing the petroleum industry.

When the leakage reportedly stopped, over 1.3 million gallons of crude oil and water mixture had spilled into a dry creek bed – making it one of the largest oil spills in state history.

Chevron used the steam injection method of oil extraction, a process comparable to a chemical-free version of fracking. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the high-pressure injection of liquids deep into the ground to open fissures in a search for petroleum.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, “Cleanup continues at the site of a surface expression of oil and water in Kern County. Crews have completed approximately 55 percent of work to remove oiled sediment in one division of the site.”

Newsom was quick to reprimand DOGGR in the aftermath of the spill. The division is responsible for overseeing the petroleum industry.

On July 10, the governor received a troubling letter about DOGGR from advocacy organizations Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance.

The letter said, “DOGGR has already approved 2,365 permits for reworking and drilling new oil and gas wells and 191 fracking permits. DOGGR’s permit approval rate is now 30% faster than it was in 2018.  Of the 2,365 well permits issued under your Administration, 1,064 or 45% of them benefitted oil companies invested in by DOGGR officials.”

Newsom has said it isn’t legal for the governor of California to unilaterally ban fracking.

It ended with a call to action followed by a list of eight DOGGR officials and their financial ties to the oil industry.

Newsom wasted no time in firing the head of the division, Ken Harris, on July 11.

“I don’t think anyone that was paying attention, including the individual [Harris] that’s no longer there, is unaware of my position on fracking,” Newsom told reporters. “I’ve been very explicit about it. The fact that they did not exercise consistency with that is one of the reasons he’s not there.”

Adam Scow, a senior consumer advocate for Consumer Watchdog, commended the governor for his swift action.

He said in a press conference on July 12, “Governor Brown refused to take any action to curb drilling or fracking in this state. Thankfully, we have a new governor with a fresh attitude who is going to take a fresh approach to this problem, which is truly a public health problem as well as a climate problem.”

The new governor has been “explicit” about his desire to end controversial extraction methods like fracking – something his predecessor declined to do.

However, Newsom has said it isn’t legal for the governor of California to unilaterally ban fracking.

Through 2011, California’s petroleum wealth ranked third of the 50 states behind Texas and Alaska, according to Mining.Com

Kassie Siegel of the  Center for Biological Diversity disputed the governor’s claim in an email.

Siegel, the Center’s Law Institute director, wrote that She wrote, “Newsom has the power to ban fracking. The governor is likely getting bad information because the oil regulatory agency (“DOGGR”) he inherited is compromised by a revolving door and conflicts of interest with the oil industry. Officials that are supposed to be protecting our air, water and climate are instead rubber stamping permits for new oil wells and parroting industry talking points.”

Stanford Environmental Law Clinic Director Deborah A. Sivas, agrees with Siegel, noting in an opinion piece in the Sacramento Bee, that “DOGGR’s existing legal authority allows the governor to just say ‘no’ to fracking and new extraction wells.”

With pressure mounting on the governor to uphold campaign promises, the oil industry and environmental activists are paying close attention.

Since 1985, California’s oil production has fallen 57 percent from approximately 394 million barrels a year to 169 million barrels last year – according to the Energy Information Administration.

Through 2011, California’s petroleum wealth ranked third of the 50 states behind Texas and Alaska, according to Mining.Com, which tracks the industry.

Activists would like to see that number fall to zero as soon as possible, but not everyone is so enthusiastic.

Republican Senate Leader Shannon Grove of Bakersfield has been critical of the governor’s recent moves. She expressed a need for consistency and chastised the governor for removing the state’s top oil regulator (Harris) “as a knee-jerk response to a radical environmentalist group’s unsubstantiated hit job”

Both sides of the state’s fracking and oil drilling debate await Newsom’s next move.

Latest Energy Videos
Video thumbnail
Who is Behind SB 540?
02:29
Video thumbnail
ABC 7: Controversial CA Energy Bill Moves Forward
08:15
Video thumbnail
KCBS-LA (CBS) - Los Angeles, CA: Late-Night Vote Can Spike Gas Prices
02:26
Video thumbnail
KCAL-LA - Los Angeles, CA: How Will Phillips 66 Closing The Refinery Impact Consumers At The Pump?
03:04
Video thumbnail
KCBS-LA (CBS) - Los Angeles, CA: Phillips 66 To Close Refinery
03:01
Video thumbnail
KGO-SF (ABC) - San Francisco, CA: Controversy Over SF's Bottle Bank Pilot
04:40
Video thumbnail
KTLA-LA (CW) - Los Angeles, CA: Newsom Signs Gas Law Aimed At Preventing Spike In Gas Prices
03:14
Video thumbnail
KNBC-LA (NBC) - Los Angeles, CA: New CA Law Aims To Protect Gas Price Spikes
02:14
Video thumbnail
KTTV-LA (FOX) - Los Angeles, CA: New Laws On Oil And Gas In California
03:04
Video thumbnail
Consumer Alert: Newsom Takes on Gasoline Price Spikes
00:31
Video thumbnail
KCBS-LA (CBS) - Los Angeles, CA: Chevron Moving Headquarters to TX
03:03
Video thumbnail
KGTV-SD (ABC) - San Diego, CA: Californians Overcharged For Gas in 2015
01:55
Video thumbnail
KTXL-SAC (FOX) - Sacramento, CA: Oil Windfall Profits Law Under Microscope
06:06
Video thumbnail
KGTV-SD (ABC) - San Diego, CA: Watchdog Blames Oil Industry For High Prices
02:26
Video thumbnail
KGTV-SD (ABC) - San Diego, CA: Who's To Blame For Recent Spikes In Gas Prices?
02:16
Video thumbnail
Support Oil Driller Accountability, AB 3155
00:54
Video thumbnail
Consumer Alert: The Buck Stops This Summer
01:29
Video thumbnail
New Consumer Alert Exposes Deceptive Oil Industry Attack On Governor Newsom
01:39
Video thumbnail
KOVR-SAC (CBS) - Sacramento, CA: Signs Fueling Debate Over Gas Tax
02:24
Video thumbnail
Consumer Alert: More Deceptive Big Oil Ads Targeting California
01:31
Video thumbnail
KGO-SF (ABC) - San Francisco, CA: CRV Fee on Alcohol Starts On January 1st
02:31
Video thumbnail
Consumer Alert: Deceptive Oil Ads
01:38
Video thumbnail
Consumer Alert: Big Oil’s BS Mailer
01:52
Video thumbnail
KABC-LA, CA: Lawmakers Should Prevent Refineries from Selling Expensive Summer Blend of Gas Overseas
02:58
Video thumbnail
KPIX-SF (CBS) - San Francisco, CA: California Gas Prices Are Soaring Again
00:32
Video thumbnail
KCAL-LA - Los Angeles, CA: Gas Prices Skyrocketing
02:52
Video thumbnail
KTLA-LA (CW) - Los Angeles, CA: So Cal Gas Prices Nearing $6 a Gallon
03:20
Video thumbnail
Spectrum News 1 (San Fernando Valley) - Los Angeles, CA: Controversy Over Gas Storage Facility
03:50
Video thumbnail
KFMB-SD (CBS) - San Diego, CA: Gas Tax Increase Takes Effect July 1st
03:23
Video thumbnail
CBS 8 - Los Angeles, CA: What You Need to Know About Gas Prices
02:02
Video thumbnail
KGO-SF (ABC) - San Francisco, CA: BottleBank Update, Is It Really Effective?
02:39
Video thumbnail
Senator Portantino, Shame on You
01:18
Video thumbnail
Senator Portantino: Protect Our Communities From Oil Drillers
00:51
Video thumbnail
KERO-BFL (ABC) - Bakersfield, CA; Oil Drilling Near Homes Can Cause Health and Safety Concerns
03:06
Video thumbnail
KNBC - LA, CA; Consumer Watchdog's Liza Tucker On New Concerns With Santa Susana Field Lab Clean Up
04:09
Video thumbnail
(ABC) - LA, CA; SoCal Edison's New Income Based Proposed Charges Might Not Be As Stable As They Seem
02:40
Video thumbnail
(CBS)-Fresno, CA; Victory For Californians As Bill Passes That Will Regulate Profits Of Oil Refiners
02:17
Video thumbnail
CNBC - Jamie Court Speaks About The Bill That Would Penalize Oil Refineries For Price Gouging
06:39
Video thumbnail
KXTV(ABC) - Sacramento, CA; Governor Newsom Announced A New Deal With Lawmakers To Take On Big Oil
02:56
Video thumbnail
KNBC-LA (NBC) - Los Angeles, CA; Holding Utility Companies Accountable For Power Outages
02:01
Video thumbnail
Consumer Watchdog at CA Senate Energy Cmte 2 22 23
50:54
Video thumbnail
KFMB CW - San Diego, CA; Oil Companies Need to be Held Accountable for High Gas Prices
02:42
Video thumbnail
KTTV (FOX) - Los Angeles, CA; Recap Of Jamie Court's Testimony At The Senate Hearing For Gas Prices
05:07
Video thumbnail
KGTV(ABC) - SD, CA; Jamie Court Will Testify at the Price Gouging Hearing for Rising Gas Prices
01:17
Video thumbnail
KTTV-LA (FOX) - Los Angeles, CA; SoCal Gas Bill Sticker Shock
04:24
Video thumbnail
Spectrum News 1 - Los Angeles, CA; Who Is SoCal Gas Buying Their Gas From?
09:18
Video thumbnail
Why SoCal Gas is at Fault For Doubling Your Natural Gas Bill
01:43
Video thumbnail
KNBC - Los Angeles, CA; Spike In Natural Gas Prices
02:32
Video thumbnail
KCBS - Los Angeles, CA; New Year, New Pain At The Pump
03:02
Latest Energy Report

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest news, press releases and special reports.