This area lays claim to three of the largest on-shore oil spills in North America: Tank Farm, Avila, and Guadalupe Dunes. A 1998 federal study analyzing oil industry activity in San Luis Obispo County from 1950 to 1998 concluded “the region would have been equally as well off economically had there been no such activity.” No economic benefit and three major oil spills—why would we want any more?
Allowing Excelaron to pull small amounts of tar out of Huasna Valley will not lessen our dependence on foreign oil or affect the price of gas at the pump. What it could do is pollute our ground water, soil, and air and leave the county taxpayers with another mess to clean up.
Just say no!
This article appears in Mar 15-22, 2012.