“Man-made disaster” more appropriately refers to the mess we have made of the air, water, and oceans of planet Earth (“Man-made disaster and unforced error,” Dec. 13). Global climate change is unambiguously the result of human activities, primarily the use of fossil fuels. “Disaster” does not refer to “losing” the purported value of the oil remaining in Santa Barbara County.
I don’t know how accurate Mr. Armendariz’s figures are, but do they include the cost of unprecedented storms and fires? Do they include the risk of spills, explosions, and earthquakes? How about the human lives lost? Do the figures cited include the cost of impaired health and lost wages? What about the diminished quality of life endured by those living in close proximity to the current oil production sites, due to noise, smell, and the negative impacts on air and water quality?
The oil in Santa Barbara County is of poor quality, heavy, and dirty. Extraction requires high-impact methods such as fracking and steam injection, and mixture with lighter crude that has to be trucked in. Are these costs reflected in Mr. Armendariz’s figures? How about the impact of heavy trucks on traffic and road wear? And the increased number of fatal traffic accidents that accompany heavy truck traffic?
Can Santa Barbara County afford the costs of all these impacts, which are unavoidably associated with claiming the “unrealized revenues” that Mr. Armendariz says are available?
I say we cannot. Let us not be misled: Leave it in the ground, where it is harmless.
This article appears in Dec 20-27, 2018.
