The age of the Great Energy Fight is upon us and the battle lines are definitely drawn. Global warming and environmental disasters are on one side. Meeting energy needs and stimulating the economy are on the other.
Protests were in full force over Plains All American Pipeline scoping hearings in Santa Barbara and Arroyo Grande at the end of February. Plains wants to build this new pipeline where one already exists. That existing pipeline has sat idle since 2015, when it burst and spilled more than 100,000 gallons of oil on the Goleta coast.
Environmental protection organizations such as the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity set their protests up outside the government centers and brought along a cute plastic pool toy—err, big-ass inflatable whale—as their mascot.
“No pipelines! No trucks!” one of their signs shouted, apparently oblivious to the irony that without oil, they would no longer be able to deploy plastic inflatable whales at protests. Maybe at the next protest, we’ll see an ocean animal made out of hemp. Now, that’s a mascot I can get behind!
“Plains Pipeline go home,” another sign exclaimed, also, oblivious to the irony that a Plains All American pipeline already exists in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Kern counties. So, technically, Plains is home.
I hate to be the one to split hairs over an oil project, because I do think that oil sucks and that oil companies are generally greedy and dirty corporations. (Hello, Greka/HVI Cat Canyon or whatever its next name will be after the pile of violations, fines, and lawsuits against the negligent oil company stacks up so high that the marketing department decides it’s time for a rebrand!) And, obviously, we need to stop being so dependent on oil, because it’s super crappy for the planet and eventually it’s going to run out. But, if you’re going to protest against a project, at least protest against the reality of a situation!
According to Plains’ government affairs dude Steve Greig, the oil company could repair a few things on the old pipeline to get it back up and running again. And there’s nothing the plastic whale can do about it! Think he’s full of it? Well—Santa Barbara County project planner Kathryn Lehr concurred.
Meanwhile, Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club head honcho Andrew Christie is pissed that the county dare use data from when the pipeline was operational as part of the environmental impact report for this pipeline replacement project. “They need to go with the obvious non-operational pipeline,” he told the Sun. Obviously, that would make it easier for the Sierra Club to make its case. In an ideal world, sure, let’s go with that.
Unfortunately, ideology and reality don’t exist on the same plane.
So strap on those battle boots and man your battleships because we’re just at the beginning of this oil war. Ooh! I’m having flashbacks of the Phillips 66 rail spur debate! And Plains is just one of the energy projects before county planners!
ERG Resources’ “revitalization” of Cat Canyon calling for a little less than 200 new oil wells goes before the county Planning Commission on March 13. If the January hearing on Aera’s proposed Cat Canyon project is any indication, things are going to get loud and awkward.
I’ve got my hard hat on and my popcorn at the ready.
The Canary is planning to hang out in the middle of the energy battle. Send your thoughts to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 7-14, 2019.
