Your comments needed asap on climate, health and safety issues from the nearby oil field.
The nearby Baldwin Hills/Inglewood Oil Field has been operating for over 95 years with an infrastructure of countless pipelines + over 1400 wells.
430 or more of these wells produce over 5200 barrels of oil a day + undisclosed amounts of gas. They pass through our City through pipelines near our homes to refineries and the Playa del Rey gas facility. Recent fuel tank explosions a couple of days after the October 15th earthquake, raise concerns about health impacts from toxic fumes and our safety given the earthquake faults within the oil field.
We need to awaken the LA County Regional Planning Dept. Their unnamed reviewers (with ??? qualifications) indicated that “all’s well in Mayberry.” Their current review of the oil field regulations (known as a CSD – Community Standards District) was dismissive of safety concerns such as training the public on what to do if there is a fire. Do we evacuate or shelter-in-place in case of toxic fumes?
The CSD oil field reviewers also dismissed the need to begin phasing out ongoing oil & gas production. This seems to contradict the Los Angeles Countywide Sustainability Plan that promises us a “A fossil fuel-free LA County” by 2045.
NASA has just shown that oil & gas production facilities are among the greatest contributors to climate disasters (wildfires, etc) which we are experiencing. The UN and Pentagon report the urgency to address climate change immediately. Unless we get off of fossil fuels by 2030 to escalating climate disasters and untold suffering will spiral ever closer to our homes.
Note the unhealthy air we are breathing. Is there a connection to recent fires emitting increasing nanoparticles of toxins cause respiratory, heart and other health issues?
We must act now! The CSD review is open for YOUR input until November 23rd. Demand that in updating the oil field CSD regulations that are meant to protect us, the County include:
1. That oil & gas production will close down at the nearby IOF by or before 2030.
2. Begin this with the shut down of all wells within 2500’ of populated areas.
3. Immediately publicize how and when to shelter-in-place or evacuate if there is an event at the oil field.
Submit these and/or your own comments ASAP on or before the November 23rd deadline.
Send to Timothy Stapleton via email: [email protected] or U.S. Postal Mail to
Timothy Stapleton, Land Use Regulation Division, Regional Planning Dept, 320 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Dr Suzanne DeBenedittis, PhD
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