Michigan dips (and since this is a one-week average, this might be meaningful). Minnesota follows Michigan’s upward trend. Illinois emerging from the pack?
MI: “Feds won’t play ‘whack-a-mole’ by sending more vaccines to Michigan” [Detroit Free Press]. “The federal government will not change its COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy, “playing whack-a-mole,” by sending more doses to Michigan, said Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response, during a Monday morning news briefing. Michigan is in the midst of another massive spike in coronavirus cases, with the worst-in-the-nation infection rate and a soaring hospitalizations that have forced some hospitals to postpone non-urgent surgeries and other procedures as they hit capacity. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Michigan can’t vaccinate its way out of the current surge.” • What awful messaging. One day it’s doom. The next day it’s we
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A pipeline leaked more than 1,600 gallons of oil this week in the Inglewood Oil Field near Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area when a valve was left open.
Human error caused the spill, which occurred at 8:10 a.m. Tuesday, according to a report from the state’s Office of Emergency Services.
The report indicated that the spill had been contained and that E&B Natural Resources, the company that operates the pipeline, was handling the cleanup. E&B Natural Resources did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sentinel Peak Resources, which operates the field, referred questions to E&B.
Throughout 2020 and early 2021, California issued more than 300 permits to oil and gas companies for new underground injection wells an intensive form of oil production and wastewater disposal.
But the actual number of new injection wells is likely higher, owing to the state’s opaque approval process that has drawn scrutiny from auditors and environmentalists. Some of these undercounted wells may be polluting groundwater used for public drinking and agricultural purposes, according to regulatory filings reviewed by Capital & Main.
The impact of injection wells on groundwater in California is understudied, regulators say. The California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM), which issues the permits and regulates the industry, is currently the subject of a lawsuit alleging the division issued permits for wells without required environmental reviews.
Go-ahead for more oil wells in Kern County frustrates California s climate ambitions
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Oil pumping rigs and transmission lines dot the landscape along Highway 33. Kern County has approved a policy to streamline approvals, potentially allowing 2,700 oil and gas wells annually.George Rose/Getty ImagesShow MoreShow Less
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An oilfield in Bakersfield Kern County has approved new regulations that will speed up the permitting of new wells.Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2017Show MoreShow Less
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Oil pipelines, pumping rigs and electrical transmission lines dot the landscape along Highway 33, the “petroleum highway.”George Rose / Getty Images 2020Show MoreShow Less
A small oil boom may be dawning in the flatlands outside Bakersfield, where many are hoping for a petroleum-led economic bump for the San Joaquin Valley, but where others see California losing its will to break away from fossil fuels.
Go-ahead for more oil wells in Kern County frustrates California’s climate ambitions By Kurtis Alexander
A small oil boom may be dawning in the flatlands outside Bakersfield, where many are hoping for a petroleum-led economic bump for the San Joaquin Valley, but where others see California losing its will to break away from fossil fuels.
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Leaders in Kern County, the heart of the state’s still-bustling oil country, approved a policy this week that will streamline the approval of drilling, and potentially allow nearly 2,700 new oil and gas wells annually. This would mean more than 30% more drill sites in California over the next 15 years.