KERN COUNTY, CA The Kern County Superior Court issued a significant ruling that declared Kern County’s environmental review of its 2021 oil and gas ordinance violated the state’s bedrock environmental protection law by failing to address serious environmental harms.
The Kern County Superior Court issued a significant ruling that declared Kern County’s environmental review of its 2021 oil and gas ordinance violated the state’s bedrock environmental protection law by failing to address serious environmental harms.
More than seven million Californians live within a mile of an oil or gas well, which studies show can create silent health hazards. Now, there are efforts to put more distance between people and pollutants. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Tom Casciato has the story, beginning in the small city of Arvin. This story is part of our ongoing series, Peril and Promise: The Challenge of Climate Change.
By MIRANDA GREEN | Special To The Washington Post | Published: April 10, 2021 WASCO, Calif. The long shadows cast here in the San Joaquin Valley come from oil derricks, not palm trees. Two hours inland from the Pacific Ocean, the arid terrain is peppered with petroleum and gas wells. The black gold that lies underground became the region s lifeblood after it was discovered in 1899, and Kern County is still responsible for more than 70% of oil and 80% of natural gas produced in California. We are very proud of our oil industry and our contribution to national security, said Dave Noerr, the mayor of Taft, a city of 9,400 in the southwest foothills. We re just a bunch of hard-working, America-loving good ol boys.