Measure P first drew attention through the petition process as an “anti-fracking” measure. Fast forward months later, it’s been confirmed for a while now that fracking is not a process used in Santa Barbara County. Yet even this week, just days before the election, there are still opinion letters urging residents to vote yes on measure P, on the basis of fracking.
The Measure P campaign sold its petitioners on an anti-fracking measure (see also: bait and switch). But what it essentially does is shut down safe oil and gas operations, impact local economy, halt millions in revenue to schools, law enforcement, and fire protection. On top of this would be the loss of thousands of jobs if it were to pass.
I urge anyone unsure at this point to research oil and gas operations on their own—specifically, steam injection and acidizing, which have been safely used for decades. Those processes are at stake, and without them it will be impossible for the oil industry to continue in Santa Barbara County (see also: termination of thousands of local jobs).
Contrary to certain letters sent in, you are not going to wake up with an oil pump in your backyard one day. And you aren’t going to turn on your faucet and see oil coming out of it. Water used in the oil extraction process is not drinkable water; it is water that has been separated through the oil extraction process and reused. So the hysteria about “protecting” drinking water is unfounded—just like the whole fracking issue.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2014.