Bakersfield, California, Kern County seat and heart of the Kern School District. (Photo by AAARoads via Wikipedia)
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (CN) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday to reinstate a streamlined process for obtaining local oil drilling permits, angering environmentalists and prompting concerns about the health impact on nearby minority communities.
The new process amends an existing county ordinance approving new oil and gas exploration and the drilling of 2,697 new oil wells in a 3,700 square mile section of the county. The area in question is predominately used by farmers for agriculture and under the newly approved process, no further environmental reviews would be required for projects going forward.