Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Kern County Oil Drilling Rules Break Law, Fresno Court Rules
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
February 26, 2020

Share

The court invalidated the permitting ordinance that allows oil companies to start drilling under a blanket environmental impact report instead of performing an EIR for each well.

“The ordinance’s basic purpose is the acceleration of oil and gas development and the economic benefits that might be achieved by that development. Its basic purpose is not the protection of the environment.” — 5th District Court of Appeal
The county accounts for about 70% of California’s oil production and nearly 80% of its gas production, according to state statistics.

More Than 1,000 Permits Issued Since 2015

Over the last five years, Kern County has issued more than 1,000 drilling permits.
The court ordered the county to set aside the ordinance and to revise its EIR to fix violations of the California Environmental Quality Act.

Environmentalists: Victory for Health and Climate

Environmentalist applauded the ruling,
“This is a huge victory for our health and climate,” Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “The court ruled that Kern County violated the law when it fast-tracked more oil and gas development and hid the immense harm caused by drilling.”
“Oil and gas operations compete with families and farmers for scarce freshwater supplies and they pump deadly air pollutants into the Central Valley. Those impacts can’t be ignored,” said Colin O’Brien, an attorney with the group Earthjustice who argued the case.

County Is Studying the Ruling

The county declined to comment Tuesday because attorneys were still studying the 150-page decision, Kern County Chief Administrative Officer Ryan Alsop told KGET-TV.
Kern County struggles with bad air quality because of ozone and dust. It also has water demands for farming that require importing water and pumping groundwater.
A 2015 amendment to the county’s zoning code allowed the county to grant approval of new oil and gas extraction permits after a review that determined the application would meet requirements of a blanket EIR.
Environmentalists argued that the ordinance was designed to rubber-stamp tens of thousands of new wells over the next 25 years.

Lower Court Sided With County

A Kern County Superior Court judge previously struck down most arguments against the ordinance. However, the appellate court found that the ordinance relied on a flawed EIR that failed to properly address pollution issues involving water, ag land, and noise.
The ordinance was designed to streamline permitting and avoid costly and time-consuming environmental reviews of individual wells and it was approved “despite its significant, adverse environmental impacts,” the appellate court ruling said.
“The ordinance’s basic purpose is the acceleration of oil and gas development and the economic benefits that might be achieved by that development,” the ruling said. “Its basic purpose is not the protection of the environment.”
(Associated Press contributed to this report.)
 

RELATED TOPICS:

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

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

DON'T MISS

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

DON'T MISS

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

DON'T MISS

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

DON'T MISS

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

DON'T MISS

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

DON'T MISS

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

DON'T MISS

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

DON'T MISS

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

UP NEXT

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

UP NEXT

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

UP NEXT

Fresno Stabbing Leaves Son Dead, Father Charged With Murder

UP NEXT

Survey: Californians Blame Utility Company Spending, Profits for High Electricity Rates

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jonathan Scott Riester

UP NEXT

Chicago Bears Great Steve McMichael Dies at 67 After Battle With ALS

UP NEXT

Long Wait Is Over for Cam Ward, Travis Hunter and Other Draft Prospects Joining the NFL

UP NEXT

Golden State’s Jimmy Butler Injured in Game 2 Loss, His Status for Game 3 Unknown

UP NEXT

Jalen Green Makes Eight 3s to Help Rockets Even Series With Warriors

UP NEXT

18-Year-Old Dies After Shooting Outside Clovis Restaurant

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

3 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

3 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

3 hours ago

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

3 hours ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

5 hours ago

Judge Partly Blocks Trump Order Seeking to Overhaul US Elections

5 hours ago

Two From Search Group That Uncovered Mexico’s ‘Ranch of Horror’ Killed

5 hours ago

US Warns States They Could Lose Transportation Funding Over Immigration, DEI Policies

5 hours ago

Don’t Miss Out! Tower District’s Porchfest Festival Is Saturday

5 hours ago

Shooter in 2022 Chicago-Area Parade Massacre Sentenced to Life in Prison

6 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup says the district had an opportunity to select an experienced superintendent with a track record of suc...

60 minutes ago

60 minutes ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an 'Unleashing American Energy' event at the Department of Energy in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2017. (REUTERS File)
2 hours ago

Trump Poised to Offer Saudi Arabia Over $100 Billion Arms Package, Sources Say

2 hours ago

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

Chickens sit at a poultry farm. March 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo)
3 hours ago

US Farm Agency Withdraws Proposal Aimed at Lowering Salmonella Risks in Poultry

3 hours ago

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

Candi, GV Wire's Adoptable Cat of the Week
3 hours ago

Candi Is the Dandy to Add a Little Sweetness to Your Life

3 hours ago

How Trump Tariffs Could Upend California Farms, Wine Businesses, and Ports

Maxwell Barrios, 28, of Tulare, was sentenced to over four years in state prison on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, for a 2023 DUI crash that seriously injured two women, including one who required a partial arm amputation. (Tulare County DA)
5 hours ago

Tulare Man Sentenced to State Prison for DUI Crash That Injured Two Women

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

Search

Send this to a friend