Tag archives: oil
Hundreds gathered outside the Santa Barbara County Administration Building on the morning of Tuesday, February 25th. The focus of the day was the Board of Supervisors meeting, where they were to consider the appeals to the County Planning Commission’s (CPC) approval of Sable Offshore Corporation’s application for a change in owner, operator, and guarantor for […]
Nearly 10 years ago – on May 19, 2015 – a corroded pipeline near Refugio beach burst, and at least 142,800 gallons of crude oil flowed down a culvert and into the ocean, contaminating one of the most biologically diverse areas of the West Coast. Over 300 dolphins, seals, sea lions, pelicans and other animals […]
Following the huge funding of $500,000 to Heal the Ocean (HTO) by State Assemblymember Monique Límon, and an additional $105,000 donated from the Mericos Foundation, work has started on the Summerland Oil Mitigation Study (SOMS). The lead project managers are Ira Leifer of Bubbleology Research International in Goleta, and HTO’s Harry Rabin. Their first foray […]
The continued efforts to contain the abandoned oil wells in the Pacific Ocean offshore to Summerland Beach took a new stride on Monday, August 14, at 10 am with the arrival of new capping methodology and the start of a 3D geological study titled, “Summerland Oil Mitigation Study” (SOMS), to fully map the oil reservoirs, […]
As most know, our County’s complete lack of ethical standards is something I have raged against. While other counties have a Code of Ethics (something that our Grand Jury recommended in 2020), our County blissfully dances in the darkness without pesky little rules relating to the timing of campaign contributions, acceptance of gifts, hiring of […]
A mysterious oil slick in the waters off Summerland Beach continues to be closely monitored by multiple agencies, while beach access remains closed to the public. According to Summerland Citizens Association Board President Phyllis Noble, the oil slick, which appeared earlier this month following heavy rains, now appears to be breaking up and no additional […]
Exactly one month from this issue’s publication, the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) will be having a 45th anniversary celebration at its headquarters in downtown Santa Barbara, a special community gathering that marks the first public event in the space in three years. Think of it as a one-shot revival of TGIF!, the environmental organization’s much-beloved […]
I look forward to reading the studies that the Montecito Water and Montecito Sanitary districts have jointly commissioned, one by Carollo Engineers to evaluate recycling options and the other by Raftelis to explore the pros and cons of a business case for district consolidation. The need for recycled water supplies is rather self-evident. The self-evident case […]
With Putin’s attack on Ukraine, many of us wrote to President Biden to ask him to cut off Russian oil imports, even if it meant a rise in prices and/or rationing. In my message I called on him to speak to the American people to sacrifice for a greater good. I talked of how my […]
Last week’s editorial identified the five top concerns facing the residents of Montecito as (1) Safety and Security from future fire, flood, and earthquake; (2) Rebuilding Public and Private Infrastructure; (3) Protecting and Preserving the Semi-Rural Character of Montecito; (4) Traffic Gridlock in Montecito; and (5) Water Securityand Water Independence from future drought. Identifying challenges […]
A Burning Issue Do they read the Montecito Journal in distant Hope Ranch? I hope so.For several months oil has been seeping out of the bluff between Hope Ranch and the beach and it is hot enough that it is burning underground. There have been repeated efforts to stop it by burying it but this […]
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) presented another of its nautical lectures, this time about the 1969 oil blowout and the birth of the environmental movement. Fifty years ago I was living in Europe, but even without cell phones we knew about the disaster in Santa Barbara, California. A blowout on Union Oil’s platform A […]
SOS California, the acronym for Stop Oil Seeps, celebrated the 11th year of its founding with a socially gridlocked bash at the University Club. Co-founder Lad Handelman, describing himself as an “environmentalist,” said he had spent 15 years of his life supporting marine mammal and other resource protection. “I see myself as being a reality-based […]
Two years ago, the voters in Montecito and Summerland elected us, Tobe Plough and Floyd Wicks, to serve four-year terms as directors of the Montecito Water District (MWD). Based upon our recent service on the MWD Board, we fully endorse the election of the following five members of the Water Security Team: For Montecito Water […]
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) opened its doors to a new exhibit. As executive director Greg Gorga told the visitors, “This is the largest exhibit the museum has ever had. The History of Oil in Santa Barbara Channel has been planned for many years.” As we all know when we come home from a […]
