• Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the firing of Ken Harris who was head of the state’s Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) on July 11, after two watchdog groups submitted a letter to the governor regardig conflicts of interest within DOGGR and an increase in the number of fracking permits approved this year. Harris was appointed to the position in 2015. According to data compiled by Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance, DOGGR issued 211 fracking permits from January through June this year, while only issuing 224 in 2018 and 227 in 2017. According to the groups’ data, the state agency also issued 35 percent more new oil well permits in the first half of this year compared to the same time frame last year. In a press conference with reporters on July 12, Newsom said he is angry about the increase of fracking permits issued and plans to appoint somebody to the open position who holds the same views on fracking. “We’ve fired the person responsible for signing those permits at DOGGR, and I’ll be appointing a replacement that shares my values and not the values expressed in [Harris’] actions,” Newsom told reporters.
• The California Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a decision on July 12 to block an oil company’s plan to build a new oil well and pipeline in the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Last year, the BLM’s Bakersfield field office approved an application for E&B Natural Resources to start drilling in an area of the monument that has been out of production since the 1950s. Conservation groups Los Padres ForestWatch and the Center for Biological Diversity filed appeals contesting the project last year, citing concerns that the plan could potentially harm wildlife near the proposed project areas. “The Carrizo Plain National Monument is one of California’s iconic landscapes, and we’re relieved that the BLM will reconsider its decision to allow a new oil well and pipeline on this treasured landscape,” Los Padres ForestWatch Executive Director Jeff Kuyper said in a statement. The BLM’s decision requires the Bakersfield field office to complete a new environmental analysis for the project.
• On July 16, the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning racist remarks President Donald Trump made on Twitter on July 14 in reference to four Democratic representatives. On Twitter, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) said he voted for the resolution because the president needed to be held accountable. “We’re speaking out today because we stand for a better America,” Carbajal said. “Not the America this president has tried to create.” On July 14, Trump suggested on Twitter that four congresswomen often critical of the president—Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan)—should leave the country. “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” Trump said on Twitter. Only Omar was born outside of the U.S. In a statement on Twitter, Carbajal urged Republicans to support the vote to condemn the president’s actions. “This goes beyond political party—we must live up to the ideals of our Constitution, celebrate our immigrant heritage, and protect the rights of all,” Carbajal said.
This article appears in Jul 25 – Aug 1, 2019.
