Trump Opens up Drilling on Federal Lands in California
Announcement comes on the heels of San Francisco being hit with an EPA notice of violation
The last time we checked California’s “resistance” against Trump, the president had threatened to cite San Francisco for violating Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
That round seems to be going to Trump, as the EPA has formally issued a notice to San Francisco for violations of regulations related to the Clean Water Act.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation to San Francisco on Wednesday, accusing the city of improperly discharging waste into the ocean and bay and following through on President Trump’s recent pledge to cite San Francisco for water pollution.
…“Substantial volumes of raw and partially treated sewage” at times flow across beaches, the notice says.
City officials were still reviewing the notice of violation late Wednesday, but some were quick to dismiss it as just another volley in the Trump administration’s continuing war on California.
As Trump continues to fulfill his promise to make the U.S. energy independent, his administration has just announced it would open up over 720,000 acres of federal land in California for oil and gas development.
This move ends a five-year moratorium on leases in the state.
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management approved a resource management plan for the oil-rich Central California coastal region, which would issue 14 previously litigated leases in Monterey and San Benito counties, which were suspended amid a legal challenge by two conservation groups six years ago, and open up new acres for leasing.
The BLM has not held a lease sale in California since 2013, when a judge ruled that the agency illegally issued leases without analyzing the environmental impact of drilling called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Interestingly, the move sends some much needed fiscal help to economically challenged portions of the Golden State, which are often overlooked by Sacramento.
According to the decision, oil and gas drilling can move forward on more than 700,000 acres of public land and mineral estate in Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Stanislaus Counties.
The agency’s plan could result in up to 37 new oil and gas wells drilling on new land leases over the next 20 years, primarily in Fresno, Monterey and San Benito counties. BLM estimates that the oil and gas industry directly supports 3,000 jobs and $623 million in tax revenue within those counties.
BLM, which is a division of the Department of Interior, is also considering a proposal to conduct new oil and gas development on 1.6 million acres of public land in Southern California. The planning area, which covers Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties, includes about 400,000 acres of public land and 1.2 million acres of federal mineral estate, according to the report.
If you can handle any more schadendfreude, here are some of the responses to the move by green justice warriors.
Merging ‘Loyalty to the Oil Industry’ and ‘Grudge Against California,’ Trump Opens 725,000 Acres to Fossil Fuel Drilling https://t.co/eR3WZknIFp
— Common Dreams (@commondreams) October 5, 2019
Trump declares war on the #environment – opens 720,000 acres in #California to new #oil drillinghttps://t.co/ii51LEkNfE
— Trey in LA (@CheshirePanther) October 5, 2019
Here we are in a climate crisis and now the Trump administration has opened up several acres of central California to more oil and natural gas drilling. Does this administration have any kind of concern for the future we are leaving for our children and grandchildren.
— Melissa Coleman (@Melissa15339728) October 5, 2019
Of course, the promise of job creation and lower gas prices is appreciated by many Californians.
Trump administration opens up drilling on federal land in California https://t.co/YsCfeMIkQj Awesome we need the high paying jobs!
— lucky one USA. (@stewdude59) October 5, 2019
It will be interesting to see how many 2020 votes Trump may be able to tap into bypassing Sacramento and its progressive politicians.
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Comments
“If you can handle any more schadendfreude…”
We can handle it, bring it on!
It’s delicious! Drill, Baby, Drill!
Here in Southern California, our gasoline prices are over $4 a gallon this week. What are people paying for gasoline in other parts of the country?
$2.239 in Houston…
$2.33 in East Texas.
btw – Trump Troll Level = GRANDMASTER
$2.58 in southern RI.
(Preview button STILL not working)
same here in Northern California. alas, i don’t think it matters how much oil we produce here in the once Golden State, our progressive overlords will find a way to ad more taxes or fees. or regulate gas stations out of business because that will show Trump.
Remember – Cali is the only state that is reliant upon Middle Eastern Oil. No other US state imports any significant amount of ME oil.
Because they refuse to build a pipeline to Texas, Fracked Southwestern oil cannot be shipped efficiently to California (mountain ranges) and it cannot be legally sent via sea because there are not any US Flagged tankers to transport it.
If there is ever a major long term supply disruption in Iraq or Iran – California will be looking at $8 or $10 a gallon gasoline.
Prices in the PDX area vary by 60 cents a gallon even a few miles apart depending if one is in the city/county (+30cents) and whether one is on a well traveled commuter route. COSTCO and Fred Meyer have built large fueling stations that resemble truck stops for cars just outside the city and they are busy ALL THE TIME.
We have yet to see a single pothole filled with the 10c/gal pothole tax.
$2.55 in Brooklyn NY
$2.12 in North Dallas; $2.01 at Sam’s Club.
$3.00/gal (Costco) in the Soviet Republic of Seattle
You can also look it up on gasbuddy dot com which also provides prices by county and gas station. I believe it also has 10 years (or more) of history of oil price.
I wonder if the law allows FedGov to prohibit states from importing some goods from other states? Thus, arrogant states that refuse to allow fracking would be banned from importing fuel produced with fracking, those with official policies against fossil fuels would be prohibited from bailing out their generation deficiencies by importing grid power generated with more than a small (say, 15%) fossil fuel component.
An even better shadenfruede for CA would be spiking their electricity to $1/kwh, thus sending many employers to other states. IDK if thats’ possible, but can’t the Feds ‘regulate’ interstate commerce?
A large portion of the difference between CA gas prices and those in the relatively sane states/regions is due to the taxes that CA levies on it. But, yes, this will bring little relief to CA drivers since the excess oil will go elsewhere. CA has only two refineries (maybe 3; its hard to get an accurate count) and CA has different formulations of motor fuel, so we cannot import it from the east… and the winter to summer, and summer to winter formula changes.
But wait… the CA governor just announced that he is, by executive order, diverting some of that gas tax from highway repair and construction to other things– namely railroads. So the CA motorist takes it in the shorts again.
State of Jefferson!
$2.29 in NoVA even after a major Saudi refinery shutdown due to Iranian drone attack. Schadenfreude is a dish best served with light, sweet crude.
So does this mean that Pelosi, DiFi etal are rushing to buy land adjacent to those tracts?
I think a ballot initiative in CA to ban importing ANY electricity produced with fossil fuels (including Natural Gas) would be a very good step.
They should also ban Ethanol tainted Gasoline.
Then subsidize EVs (let them use HOV lanes, etc). so the electrical grid fails.
Sterling, VA
Costco $2.32
Others mostly $2.55-2.65
Wonderful. Full credit to President Trump.
$2.45 in OH
$2.47 a gallon in Colorado Springs, CO. However we have a Trotskyite Governor and a Democrat-Socialist legislature, so this coming session is guaranteed major increases.
Subotai Bahadur
Roughly $6.40 / US gal in England with VAT and fuel tax of $3.90 (61% of the cost). It’s how you pay for free health care.
In the $2.30 range in Southeastern OK. Add 25-30 cents to spring for ethanol-free, which I always do when a station offers it (most here do).
The Corn Belt states love them their subsidy money too much, so I doubt we’ll be rid of the E10 silliness anytime soon.
AND MEANWHILE….. the Wall is going up!
Today’s total 128.5 miles completed – 292.75 under construction/contract!
New blog tracks total miles of wall built and under contract/construction with maps and more – updated daily. https://www.trumpwall.construction/
For latest update – Scroll down to bottom of Projects Overview section.
Twitter – https://twitter.com/trumpwallconstr
It would be nice to see gasoline under $2.00/gallon by November 2020.