A coalition of community and environmental groups on Wednesday sued Kern County over its adoption of an ordinance to fast-track permitting for more than 40,000 new oil and gas wells over the next 15 years.
On Monday, the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved a single environmental impact report and other conditions that they say satisfy legally required environmental reviews and public comments. It affords companies a seven-day turnaround time for new permits, rather than a process that can take years.
“This ordinance is a disaster for public health in Kern County, particularly for low-income communities and . communities of color that live next to oil wells and are already harmed daily by fossil fuel pollution,” said Chelsea Tu, senior attorney at the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, which represents three groups from towns in Kern County the Committee for a Better Arvin, Committee for a Better Shafter, and Comité Progreso de Lamont in the lawsuit.