Planning an oil phase out in Santa Barbara, as Los Angeles and other jurisdictions have done, would save lives, reduce air and water pollution and help meet our climate goals.
When our County Supervisors passed the County Climate Action Plan last August, there was one striking omission. It failed to include oil and gas facilities, a major source of emissions. Recognizing this, County Supervisors asked staff to return with options for including oil and gas facilities. On May 13, 2025 Supervisors will finally consider those options.
The only way to reduce emissions in this sector is not to allow new oil and gas projects, and to begin the process of phasing out oil and gas facilities once they have been fully amortized and their investments have been recouped.
Just as setting 100% renewable energy goals and joining Central Coast Community Energy has allowed Santa Barbara County to participate in a planned and affordable transition to renewable energy, setting a goal to phase out fossil fuel production will help the County plan an orderly transition away from oil and gas, provide landowners and industry with certainty, and head off costly project proposals that conflict with County efforts to protect our air, water, health, and climate.
Other jurisdictions including the city and county of Los Angeles have already passed oil phase out ordinances. Such policies been further facilitated by the passage of AB 3233 last year clarifying the right of local jurisdictions to regulate oil. Health and safety regulation has long been the responsibility of local governments. The City of Santa Barbara has prohibited oil drilling for at least 60 years.
The unconventional oil left in the County is particularly harmful to the environment. The oil projects that have been proposed in the County over the past decade have been cyclic steam or steam flooding proposals, which are the most energy-intensive forms of oil production. The carbon intensity (which measures the full carbon cost including production, transportation and refining) is higher than the average oil imported from around the globe. The carbon intensity of California-sourced oil is growing at three times the rate of oils produced outside of California.
An oil phase out would also improve air quality and protect us from disease. Diesel trucks and gas-burning steam generators not only produce greenhouse gases, but they also emit health-damaging air pollution that causes cancer, asthma, heart disease, and other conditions. For instance, according to the California Air Resources Board, oil production was the largest facility source of PM2.5, Benzene, Formaldehyde, VOCs, Nitrogen Oxide and Sulfur Oxide in the County in recent years. Phasing out oil will save lives.
We also must safeguard our drinking water supplies. Many oil projects are in the vicinity of critical drinking water aquifers. For instance, oil companies are currently seeking an exemption from federal drinking water protections in Cat Canyon to inject toxic wastewater below the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin, which provides drinking water to 190,000 people. A state study identified 291 existing wells that may serve as pathways for the migration of toxic substances in that field. In addition, there have been documented oil spills into creeks, rivers and watersheds, and a superfund site. Page 50 of that EPA plan notes that, “Cleanup of groundwater in this area is technically impracticable and would likely require several thousand years.”
Road safety is also a growing concern. Due to the Phillip 66 refinery closure, trucking is increasingly used to transport oil. Recent proposals have included adding thousands of additional oil tanker truck trips annually to local roads. Oil tanker accidents have created hazardous traffic, shut down roads, and have caused fires and spilled oil into waterways.
Oil production kills and harms endangered and sensitive plants and animal species. The Central Coast’s Mediterranean biome is a hotspot of biodiversity. The region contains numerous endemic, federally-listed, and sensitive species which require protection. Phasing out oil would help protect wildlife and endangered species.
Oil projects are located in high fire hazard zones and increase wildfire risks. Additionally, wastewater injections can trigger earthquakes. Phasing out oil will help prevent future natural disasters from wreaking havoc.
Lastly, there would be economic benefits to pursuing a clean energy economy and alternate uses for land now dedicated to oil production. A recent UCSB report on the benefits of an oil phase out calculates that revenues to the County from local oil production are just $3.3 million in property taxes or approximately 0.2% of county revenues. This is very low relative to some other land uses while costs to the County (accounting, legal, road repair, emergency services, etc.) are higher than other industries.
Join a large and growing coalition of more than 50 organizations and urge Supervisors to direct staff to research and draft an oil and gas phase out plan and ordinance. Email them at: sbcob@countyofsb.org
The growing coalition supporting SB County oil phase out below.
cap-sign-on-letter-2025_may.pdf