Pedro Nava gets tough on onshore oil
violations
Onshore oil operators that continuously spill petroleum
and other contaminants soon may face harder consequences, as local, state and
federal agencies strive to be in accord punishing violators.
Assemblyman Pedro Nava, (D-Santa Barbara) is sponsoring
two bills intended to hold onshore oil operators more accountable and give more
authority to state and federal agencies when dealing with problem oil
operators.
In a press conference in front of the Santa Barbara County
Courthouse April 4, Nava announced the two bills, A.B. 1960 and A.B. 2912.
If passed, A.B. 1960 would establish minimum maintenance
standards for oil facilities and give state agencies the authority to shut down
facilities that fail to meet the standards.
The bill also would require the State Department of
Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources to define “good
oil practices,” a standard to be used to determine when an operator is out of
compliance.
No clear definition of “good oil field practices” exists,
but Nava’s bill would change that, he said.
A.B. 1960 also would require operators that have a track
record of violations to buy a state bond to ensure that funds are available for
cleanup in the event that the operator chooses to abandon the site or file
bankruptcy.
“This would ensure safe decommissioning of the 400
orphaned oil wells nobody wants to take responsibility for,” Nava added.
To date, the state has plugged more than $14 billion into
cleaning up abandoned oil wells, according to a press released by Nava’s office.
The second proposed bill, A.B. 2912, would increase the
maximum fees for inland oil spills from $2,000 to as much as $500,000 per
spill, changing the standards by which the fines for oil spills are determined;
inland spills would be treated as marine spills.
“These two measures will change how we deal with these
guys,” Nava said. “How’s that for legal language, ‘these guys?’”
Nava’s announcement follows an ongoing confrontation
between Greka Oil and Gas Company, California state
agencies and local agencies over a string of spills since the fall of 2007
involving more than 150,000 gallons of petroleum, according to the Santa
Barbara County Fire Department.
Nava called Greka’s spills an
“onslaught of attacks” on the environment and said such high levels of ground
and water contamination are unacceptable.
The introduction of the two bills follows a January press
conference at which Nava vowed to take action against Greka
and to back state and federal agencies that deal with oil spills.
Following Nava’s press conference, Greka
President Andrew deVegvar issued a written statement
defending the oil company’s track record.
“Greka’s goal is to become a
leader in environmental safety,” deVegvar said. “We
support reasonable legislative efforts to improve environmental safety as long
as standards are applied equally and fairly.”
Greka
recently adopted spill prevention measures that include the addition of
around-the-clock staffing at its Santa Barbara County facilities and plans to
add concrete safety walls to contain any spills that occur, deVegvar
added in his written statement.
Nava says, though, that he is not impressed with the
company’s efforts.
“Greka has been involved in
spills for more than a decade,” he said.
And as for people who want to applaud its recent efforts,
they need to take a closer look, Nava said.
“What I say to Greka is, ‘nice
try, but no cigar; you’re going to need to do more and better,’” he added.
Second District Supervisor Janet Wolf, Robert Wise, onsite
coordinator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Eric Hanson of the Santa
Barbara District Attorney’s Office, representatives from the Surfrider Foundation and the La Purisima
Audubon Society, attended the press conference to show their support for Nava’s
bills.
Oxnard City Corps, an environmental protection non-profit,
also attended the press conference. “We’re here in support of Pedro Nava’s
Bills,” said City Corp. Youth Coordinator Marcus Lopez.
City Corp. wants to teach youth between 13 and 24 how to
protect the environment through first-hand experience dealing with spills, he
added.
Nava said that the bills are intended to be an addition to
local agencies’ efforts to curtail oil spills.
For more information on A.B. 1960 and
A.B. 2912, visit www.legislature.ca.gov.