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<br />...After grabbing national headlines last year for its less-than-spectacular track record, Greka, which is the
<br />largest onshore oil operator in Santa Barbara County, spurred an overhaul of the way in which the county
<br />regulates and punishes such entities as well as the way in which that information is shared within the county's
<br />regulatory agencies.
<br />...However, in a point of attack led by 2nd District Supervisor Janet Wolf and echoed by the 1st District's Salud
<br />Carbajal, the new incarnation of the board, with the 3rd District's ...seat now occupied by Doreen. Farr, seemed
<br />more committed this week to cracking down on operators who make a habit of spilling." Santa Barbara
<br />Independent January 8, 2009
<br />`Local elected officials have a responsibilityto ensure that Federal and State laws governing water
<br />. ~,
<br />quality are vigorously enforced. As a member of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors I _
<br />have advocated for the provision of adequate resources for education and enforcement, both of
<br />which are essential to diligently protect our creeks, ocean and other critical aquatic habitat," said
<br />Supervisor Salud Carbajal.
<br />Salud Carbajal
<br />In 2007, the Board of Supervisors approved the Planning and Development, Petroleum Unit Strengthened
<br />Provisions of the County Code, Chapter 25, to improve public health and safety.
<br />It wasn't only Santa Barbara County that was concerned about Greka spills. On July 23, 2008, the Central Coast
<br />Region of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board announced a potential $8.6 million fine for Greka
<br />for "petroleum waste clean up violations that began in January 2007, and which continue to threaten water
<br />quality."
<br />The Water Quality Control Board issued a cleanup order back in December If 2006 for Greka's Casmalia, Cat
<br />Canyon, Santa Maria Valley, and Zaca oilfields "to ensure that Greka properly manages, tests and disposes of
<br />petroleum-impacted waste piles, including hazardous materials, to,protect surface water and groundwater quality.
<br />Delaying the removal of the petroleum waste piles has extended the time surface waters are exposed to
<br />pollutants eroded from the piles by wind and rain ...Surface waters in the vicinity of the waste pile sites include
<br />Schuman Canyon Creek, Bradley Canyon Creek, the Santa Maria River, Zaca Creek, and several unnamed surface
<br />waters," including "seasonal creeks and streams."
<br />Santa Barbara County has seen repeated oil spills into a variety of seasonal streams and rivers,
<br />some named and some not, over the past several years. Supervisor Janet Wolf said, "Onshore oil
<br />production presents risks to our groundwater, creeks and streams. This industry must be closely
<br />monitored and regulated. One oil company in Santa Barbara County was flying under the radar, ~~'
<br />and after an enormous spill in December, 2007, I decided it was high time to hold them
<br />accountable, and I brought this matter to the Board of Supervisors. Since that time, our County ''
<br />:_~
<br />codes have been strengthened, and a state law passed to provide the Department of Conservation
<br />increased authority to hold these onshore oil companies accountable. Most importantly we've Janet wolf
<br />seen a significant decrease in spills."
<br />In addition to the environmental problems created by the oil spills themselves, jurisdictional questions due to the
<br />recent Supreme Court decisions have exacerbated the situation. The Environmental Defense Council's attorney
<br />noted that, "EPA has gone on-site to clean up several Greka spills. However, when the time came to collect
<br />enforcement costs from Greka, EPA's attorneys are/were concerned that the spills may not have reached 'waters
<br />of the United States,' hereby depriving the agency of a jurisdictional hook under the Clean Water Act." Uncertainty
<br />over whether the courts will still uphold Clean Water Act jurisdiction over many wetlands and small streams after
<br />SWANCC and Rapanos is weakening the Clean Water Act and putting the nation's waters at risk.
<br />ST LOUfS COUNTY, MN:
<br />Hwy 47/Jumping Through Jurisdictional Hoops
<br />The SWANCC and Rapanos Supreme Court decisions and agency guidance have made Clean Water Act permitting
<br />more time consuming and burdensome for county and private permittees alike. Before an applicant even gets to
<br />the permit phase, the Army Corps of Engineers must now carry out a comprehensive analysis to determine
<br />8 Clean Water For All: County Leaders Speak Out for Clean Water
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