Oh, how our coastline is changing. In a big way. I understand that what happens at the coast doesn’t have the most immediate effect on most of Northern Santa Barbara County, but it also kind of does. It affects the overall picture of our lives as Central Coast residents, not to mention our ability to take a beach selfie in front of a fiery pink sunset.
This is important stuff, people. The beach is where we recreate, cool off from those sweaty 90-degree heat waves, and where we perform yoga and find serenity—if you’re one of those hippy (or hipster) kinda birds.
One of my favorite places to recharge is Refugio Beach, that beach once famous for its giant palm-lined sand, and later infamous for an ugly spill. Recently I did a flyby of the beach (totally for research purposes, and definitely not with a bathing suit under my feathers) and was shocked to see the number of beloved palms that were either missing, standing with their roots nakedly exposed, or else in a watery grave just a few tidal surges from shipping off to sea. The shore itself was changed with much of the beach eroded in some areas.
It’s sad to see that kind of change but at least it’s a natural change, unlike when globs of oil blanketed the area last summer.
Hopefully that won’t be happening again. Plains All American Pipeline’s Line 901, one of the lines responsible for the Refugio oil spill will no longer be under federal jurisdiction. The line is currently not operational, but with the change if Plains does restart the line it will come under stricter state and local regulations. Can a bird get a “woot woot”?
It has to do with whether the pipelines are classified as interstate or intrastate. When Line 901 and 903 (the other offending line in the Refugio spill) were running, they were interstate and subject to federal oversight.
However the lines never carried oil across state lines according to Hillary Blackerby, senior field representative for Assemblyman Das Williams’ district office.
With Plains pulling its federal paperwork from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), if the lines become operational again they will be considered intrastate and subject to—da-da-dum—California’s restrictions.
So why did Plains file as if they were interstate lines? Hmmm, maybe to, I don’t know, have a little wiggle room under the less-strict federal regulations? Who knows? But one can speculate.
Tamara Young-Allen of FERC media relations said she didn’t know why they filed that way either, but since they did, “they’re considered to be an interstate commerce.”
No matter, that’s all water—er oil?—under the bridge. The main thing is they are correcting their actions.
California is a beautiful place to live, but there’s a reason for that, namely, the much stricter regulations when it comes to things that can negatively affect the environment.
Finding a happy medium between recreation and the environment is all on the minds of Lompoc residents these days. While some people like to recreate at the beach, others get their kicks on dry land. The Lompoc Valley Motorsports Park is undergoing review to determine if the project is compatible with the environment. A stringent environmental impact report will analyze the future park’s impact on the environment, including the effects of the noise it’s expected to produce.
Noise seems to be the sticking point with many community members saying they like the project, just not the location. That’s because it’s located near the airport, which is near a few neighborhoods.
Those neighbors aren’t too thrilled about hearing the roar of engines interrupting their peaceful days or still, starry nights.
John Linn, chairman of the Lompoc Parks, Recreation & Pools Foundation, the umbrella nonprofit under which the Lompoc Valley Motorsports Committee operates, said the committee has spent hours upon hours researching and trying to mitigate any possible noise before the park is even built.
Committee members say the EIR will determine whether their efforts will make a difference, and Linn said he’s confident those efforts will indeed make a difference.
Lompoc Valley definitely needs more places to recreate and more activities for youth to get involved in. So far, the foundation has had a good track record of accomplishing that. It’s completed the Bark-N-Park Dog Park, the BMX park, a bike skills park, expansion of the Beattie Park disc golf course, a Radio Control car track, and the Kids Moto Fun Park, among current projects like the motorsports park.
On the other hand you have neighbors who just want to hang on to their serenity.
Because the motorsports park isn’t moving to another location, it’s a tough call. Linn said it best when he said people should wait for the EIR, however, I hope that the city and committee members also give their neighbors a listen, and keep their concerns in mind.
We all find our happy place somewhere, whether it’s a beach, a track, or the tranquility of our own birdcage.
The Canary is going to go hug a tree. Send her comments at canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 3-10, 2016.