The Ordinance Amendment Hearing will be next week, November 13th 8am in Newport Beach: Please read below and see what you can do to help - thanks: GOLETA AGAINST DRILLING (GAD-NO) ALERT! WHAT: Coastal Commission hearing on a Local Coastal Plan amendment to allow exploration and drilling of natural gas at SoCal Gas Co’s La Goleta site adjacent to Goleta Beach Park and Atascadero Creek bike path WHEN: Wednesday November 13 at 8:00AM WHERE: 100 Civic Center Drive, Newport Beach The agenda with link to the Staff Report is available at coastal.ca.gov/mtgcurr.html. PLEASE VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION TO NEW DRILLING ON OUR COAST! Members of the public can send written comments to Coastal Commission staff person Kate Huckelbridge at [email protected]. OVERVIEW The California Coastal Commission will consider an amendment to the County’s Local Coastal Plan (“LCP”) to allow exploration and production of natural gas at the La Goleta site. The amendment, which for now only applies to the La Goleta site, would allow drilling and operation of natural gas wells for production, and construction and operation of supporting equipment including pipelines and processing facilities. Santa Barbara County approved the amendment and associated permits earlier this year, over the strong objection of local residents - over 900 of whom signed a petition opposing the project. The 147-acre La Goleta site is currently used for natural gas storage, but is largely undeveloped open space. Two-thirds of the site is currently farmed. The site is surrounded by Goleta Beach Park and Goleta Slough to the west, Atascasdero Creek and the Atascadero Creek bike path (aka the Obern Trail) to the north, and the “Patterson Ag. Block” agricultural properties to the east. The La Goleta Mobile Home Park is located immediately across Atascadero creek from the site. Mapped Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas (“ESHA”), monarch butterfly sites, and wetlands all exist on the site. SUGGESTED TALKING POINTS • New natural gas exploration and drilling is not appropriate for the La Goleta site, which is adjacent to a heavily used beach park and public bike trail. The amendment does not protect these popular recreational destination points, in conflict with section 30253 of the Coastal Act (incorporated into the County’s LCP). • The amendment is inconsistent with LCP visual resource protection policy. The new drilling rig (with mandatory night lighting due to the airport) would compromise public views to and along the coast from Los Carneros Road, Goleta Beach including the fishing pier, the ocean, and surrounding residential streets including Patterson Road, Placencia Street, and More Ranch Road. The County’s Environmental Impact Report found significant and unavoidable visual impacts associated with the drilling rig, even though it is not permanent. • The amendment is inconsistent with LCP agricultural resource protection policy. The site is currently farmed, includes prime soils and important farmland, and is among the precious few properties in active agriculture in the Goleta Valley. The Commission must consider whether the amendment complies with LCP agricultural resource protection policy. The Staff Report failed to discuss this important issue. • The amendment is inconsistent with LCP hazards policy. Exploration and drilling will potentially affect the geologic stability of the site, contribute to flood and fire hazards, and carries the risk of accidental release of hazardous materials. The project will increase vibration and noise impacts currently experienced near the site. • The amendment is inconsistent with LCP biological resource protection policy. The project site is adjacent to sensitive slough and creek environments, and supports ESHA, monarch butterfly sites, and wetland habitats. The Staff Report merely assumes these resources can be adequately avoided by applying existing LCP policies to the coastal development permit with no site-specific analysis. The Commission cannot find that the amendment is consistent with the LCP without an analysis of whether mitigation can adequately protect biological resources. • There is no substantial public benefit from allowing natural gas exploration and drilling at the La Goleta site. The project would produce a relatively insignificant amount of natural gas and add a small increment of additional storage capacity to the site. This small benefit is simply not worth compromising the integrity of our coastal resources including recreational areas, natural habitats, and agricultural land. PLEASE DENY THIS AMENDMENT!
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 18:48:48 +0000
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