Third Rail

Re-posted from The City Project

(Culver City) In the wake of the tragedy and continuing environmental catastrophe unfolding off the Coast of Louisiana, Culver City will host the California Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials on Friday, May 14, at City Hall, from 1 pm to 4pm.

The Committee, chaired by Assemblymember Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara), will conduct an investigative hearing regarding oil drilling operations in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles by Plains Exploration and Production Company (PXP) and the risks associated with oil drilling to residents throughout the region. This hearing will also include an examination of the regulatory agencies responsible for insuring that oil production facilities do not pose a public health or environmental hazards. Regulators, community representatives, and members of the oil industry and environmental groups are expected to testify. (See Agenda Attached Below)

“The oil industry has been cited for hundreds of incidents in the Los Angeles basin during the last several years that have harmed residents and the environment. We have a responsibility to make sure that people are safe in their neighborhoods,” said Nava. “On-shore and offshore oil drilling are extremely dangerous and it is imperative that the necessary safeguards and oversight exists, whether it is Baldwin Hills and Hermosa Beach in Los Angeles County or Santa Barbara (the proposed location of the first new drilling in California Sanctuary Act waters in 41 years). It is imperative that the public is protected.”

The Committee’s investigation has already found more than 125 air quality violations in the Los Angeles basin by the oil drilling industry throughout the past five years. This includes numerous violations by PXP in Baldwin Hills, including one incident where residents had to evacuate their neighborhoods.

WHO: Assemblymember Pedro Nava, Chairman
Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials

Witnesses include:
Culver City Councilmember Andrew Weissman
Representatives from regulators, industry and environmental groups

WHAT: Assembly Committee Hearing on Oil Drilling Hazards in Culver City

WHERE: Culver City Council Chambers
9770 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA

WHEN: Friday, May 14, 2010, 1-4 p.m.

Said Culver Councilmember Andrew Weissman, “The City of Culver City welcomes the State Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, chaired by Assembly member Pedro Nava, to our community and appreciates the Committee’s leadership in conducting the Oversight Hearing on Environmental Hazards of Oil Drilling and Production in the Baldwin Hills/Inglewood Oil Fields. In 2006, the City had to respond to two releases of pressurized gas, which forced residents who were overcome by noxious fumes to leave their homes. In 2008, an oil pipeline spill flowed into storm drains leading to Ballona Creek, which empties directly into the Santa Monica Bay. The City has been working with Los Angeles County to develop adequate safeguards for the Baldwin Hills/Inglewood Oil Fields, which is located in a heavily populated area. However, even more can be done with the State’s help.”

The hearing will examine the following issues:

• How do state and local agencies with regulatory responsibility assess the public health and environmental hazards associated with oil drilling and production in the Baldwin Hills oil fields?

• In the case of oil production facilities in heavily urbanized areas, are there identifiable special risks to local communities and does the current regulatory system reflect the level of risk in these urban settings?

• Do the current regulatory agencies have the technical expertise to insure public health protections from toxic air emissions?

AGENDA: ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AND TOXIC MATERIALS

Oversight Hearing on Environmental Hazards of Oil Drilling and Production in the Baldwin Hills/Inglewood Oil Fields & The Los Angeles Basin

City Hall
9770 Culver Boulevard
Culver City
Working Agenda

Introduction (1:00-1:15)
Assemblyman Pedro Nava
Welcome – City of Culver City

City of Culver City (1:15- 1:30)
City Council Member Andrew Weissman

California Department of Conservation (1:30- 2:00)
Bridgett Luther, Director
Elena Miller ¬- State Oil & Gas Supervisor

Panel One- Community Organizations (2:00 – 3:00)
Lark Galloway-Gilliam- Community Health Councils, Inc.
Robert Garcia- The City Project
Damon Nagami- Natural Resource Defense Council
John Kuechle- Baldwin Hills Community Standards District Community Advisory Panel

Panel Two- Homeowners (2:30 – 3:00)
Gary Gless, Windsor Hills
Mary Ann Greene, Blair Hills
Ken Kutcher, Culver Crest Neighborhood Association
Irma Muñoz, Baldwin Vista

Public Testimony (3:00- 4:00)
Limited to 3 minutes per witness

Adjournment 4:00