Smoke blows past oil wells at sunset on the eastern flank of the 16,000-plus-acre Guiberson fire; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images
A report this morning from the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) claims California’s poorest population (about 2 million people) are living in communities dangerously polluted by the effects of oil and gas drilling. The report, “Drilling in California: Who’s at Risk,” explores the effects of oil and gas drilling in the State of California. Among the report’s most concerning claims: More than 5 million Californians live within one mile of a gas or oil well, which may raise the risk of asthma, cancer and birth defects for nearby residents.
Today’s report also looks at the ethnicity of the affected population, stating that 69 percent of people living near these wells are classified as “people of color.” That number jumps to 92 percent when surveying communities surrounding major processing facilities designed to handle hazardous waste. In the report, senior scientist Miriam Rotkin-Ellman writes, “California’s communities of color have long been dumping grounds for industrial pollution—and our analysis shows that fracking is poised to pile on more if the oil and gas industry has its way. Fracking is moving next door to more and more California homes, schools and neighborhoods. From Los Angeles to the state’s farms and ranches, this industry must not be allowed to poison our people’s health.” Oil industry trade group The Western States Petroleum Association has been quick to reject the report’s findings. Spokesman Tupper Hull tells The Los Angeles Times, “We don’t believe that the policy objectives that NRDC is pursuing with this kind of advocacy are in the best interest of California and its consumers.”
Oil and gas companies have now set their sights on the Monterey Shale formation, which would affect the communities of Ventura, Monterey, Fresno and Santa Barbara. The NRDC’s report, however, urges prospectors to take a step back to assess the effects of drilling on local communities before potentially contaminating others. The report’s senior scientist Miriam Rotkin-Ellman explains, “We have communities already overburdened, and they could really get the short end of the stick if we allow this technology to continue without the proper evaluations of the health and environmental risks.”
Are you worried about your home’s proximity to an oil well? Have you or a family member experienced medical complications that can be attributed to pumping or drilling?
Guests:
Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, Senior Scientist at the NRDC, lead for report “Drilling in California: Who’s at Risk?”
Tupper Hull, VP for Strategic Communications at Western States Petroleum Association