Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

30 minutes ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

2 hours ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

2 hours ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

2 hours ago

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

4 hours ago

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

21 hours ago

State Department Approves $30 Million for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

22 hours ago

Cargo Ship That Caught Fire Carrying Electric Vehicles Sinks in the Pacific

1 day ago

4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do

2 days ago
Newsom Visits Big Oil Spill Near Bakersfield, Sees 'Progress'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
July 25, 2019

Share

Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the site of California’s largest oil spill in decades and said he is encouraged by Chevron’s efforts to clean it up.
About 970,000 gallons have leaked from the ground at an oilfield west of Bakersfield over the last couple of months; about one third of it is oil and the other two thirds water.

About 970,000 gallons have leaked from the ground at an oilfield west of Bakersfield over the last couple of months.
“I’m seeing progress,” Newsom said during a visit Wednesday to the site, where the oil and water are contained in a dry desert creek bed. The leaks are known as surface expressions, which can be caused by injecting steam into the ground.
Chevron uses steam injection to extract oil in the Cymric Oil Field about 35 miles west of Bakersfield. The steam softens the thick crude so it can flow more readily. It is a different process from fracking, which breaks up underground layers of rock.


The company has said the initial leak began May 10 after its crews tried to seal a damaged and abandoned well. The company said efforts to confirm the source of the original leak and shut it down unleashed higher flows in the weeks after the initial release was discovered.

Spill is the Largest in California Since 1990

The state issued Chevron a notice of violation, ordering it to stop steam injections around the spill. The company also increased its production of oil from wells in the area. Both actions are intended to relieve underground pressure that may be forcing the mix of oil and water to the surface.
The latest seepage was noticed July 17.
The spill is the largest in California since 1990, when a tanker spilled more than 400,000 gallons of crude oil off the coast of Huntington Beach.
Officials said the latest spill is not affecting waterways. Still, Newsom told reporters the state would ask Chevron to turn over data so regulators can investigate the cause of the spill.
The Bakersfield Californian reported over the weekend that records show Chevron continued to inject steam into the ground at a site about 360 feet from where its crews were working on a well — a combination of activity that experts said probably contributed to the release. Chevron denied that steam played any role in the uncontrolled releases.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

DON'T MISS

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

DON'T MISS

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

DON'T MISS

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

DON'T MISS

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

DON'T MISS

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

DON'T MISS

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

DON'T MISS

Calwa Park Sitting on $7.4M in Grants. Where is New Pool, Other Upgrades?

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Teisha Zonnette Thomas

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

UP NEXT

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

UP NEXT

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

UP NEXT

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

UP NEXT

Calwa Park Sitting on $7.4M in Grants. Where is New Pool, Other Upgrades?

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Teisha Zonnette Thomas

UP NEXT

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

UP NEXT

Fresno Advocates Want Respect for Immigrants, Defend Miguel Arias

UP NEXT

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Clovis Police Searching for At-Risk Missing Man Last Seen in Fresno

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

2 hours ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

2 hours ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

2 hours ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

2 hours ago

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

2 hours ago

Calwa Park Sitting on $7.4M in Grants. Where is New Pool, Other Upgrades?

3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Teisha Zonnette Thomas

3 hours ago

Fourth of July Celebrations Begin Saturday. Here’s Your Fresno Area Guide

4 hours ago

Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyber Attack

19 hours ago

US House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

19 hours ago

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday preserved a key element of the Obamacare law that helps guarantee that health insurers cover p...

1 minute ago

Obamacare Sign in San Ysidro, California
1 minute ago

US Supreme Court Preserves Key Element of Obamacare

Pride Flags Fly in New York
30 minutes ago

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

1 hour ago

Fresno Unified Trustees Will Get Automatic Raises on Tuesday

2 hours ago

Alleged ‘Fake’ ICE Agents Charged. Fresno Court Date Set

Olga Urbina carries baby Ares Webster as demonstrators rally on the day the Supreme Court justices hear oral arguments over U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to broadly enforce his executive order to restrict automatic birthright citizenship, during a protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

In Win for Trump, US Supreme Court Limits Judges’ Power to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the press after a hearing on the use of National Guard troops amid federal immigration sweeps, at the California State Supreme Court in San Francisco, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters FIle)
2 hours ago

California’s Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million for Defamation Over Trump Call

fresno
2 hours ago

Motorcycle Collides With Tractor in Fatal Fresno County Collision

Ringo Is GV Wire's Adoptable Pet of the Week, June 27, 2025
2 hours ago

Ringo Is Ready to Rock Your World With ‘Pawsitive’ Vibes!

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend