Hundreds of people at the Kern County Planning Commission meeting on Sep. 13.

Hundreds of people turned out to the Kern Planning Commission this month to support or oppose California Resources Corporation’s (CRC) proposal to capture carbon dioxide from oil field installations in western Kern County. Which would be the first of their kind in California. 

Here is the article for more information about the projects by Kern Sol News’s Jose Gaspar. 

Here are the list of organizations who came out to support the CRC project:

• Californians for Energy and Science 
• The Laborers Local 220
• Adventist Health in Central California 
• Kern Inyo and Mono Counties
• Boys and Girls Club of Kern County 
• Latinas Lead California 
• International Union of Operating Engineers 
• Kern Community Foundation 
• Youth 2 Leaders Education Foundation
• Kern County Electrical Apprentice Program 
• Teamsters Local 87
• Kern County Asian Chamber of Commerce 
• West Side Recreation and Park District 

“This project will provide real solutions for the future of energy production in Kern County and will also create jobs and business opportunities through the development of a new carbon management economy,” said Gloria Williams on behalf of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kern County.

“I firmly believe that the Carbon Capture Project will not only benefit our environment, but also the community’s economic prosperity,” said George Harmer who spoke on the behalf with Californians for Energy and Science. 

Mario Salinas, president of the Laborers Local 220 came to support the project along with over 50 members from their union. “We are proudly here to support this wonderful project. I think that with everything that’s going we’re going green and everything within the next few years,” he said. 

Kern County Planning Director Lorelei Oviatt, who did an overview of the two projects, confirmed the project would create no more than between 5 to 10 jobs.    

Organizations that received funding from CRC according to their website (https://www.crc.com/esg/crc-in-the-community/default.aspx) and came out to support the project during the Planning Commission meeting were Adventist Health Bakersfield, Boys and Girls Club of Kern County, and Latina Lead California.

The Boys and Girls Club of Kern County told Kern Sol News that the reason why they showed up to support the CRC project during the Planning Commission meeting is because CRC asked to speak on behalf of this project. And they agreed to support the project because they receive funding from CRC. 

Here are the list of organizations who came out to opposed the CRC project:

• Members from Delano’s community group the Delano Guardians  
• The Dolores Huerta Foundation
• Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice 
• Central California Environmental Network 
• The Sierra Club 
• Central on Race, Pover, and the Environment 
• Residents from Buttonwillow, Delano, Lamont, and Shafter 

Miguel Alatorre, who spoke on the behalf of Green Action for Health and Environmental Justice to oppose the project said, “vulnerable communities, primarily low income and Latino residents, will face heightened health risks, including respiratory and cardiovascular issues.”

Ivan Ortiz from the Central California Environmental Justice Network said he has been a resident of Kern County for the majority of his life and asked the board to think about the lives already impacted by poor air quality and to reject these greenwashing attempts by the oil industry. “Call it a carbon dump site,” Ortiz said about the project.

“I know that CRC and AERA are claiming that this project and the other project, Carbon Frontier, are benefiting the community in both jobs and tackling the climate crisis. However, this is simply not true. I urge the commission to reject the Carbon Terrible Project and the Carbon Frontier Project on the basis of its inability to meet federal EPA safety and regulation regulatory standards,” said Mercedes Macias with the Sierra Club.

Several members from Delano’s community group the Delano Guardians shared their concerns if the project gets approved. 

Irma Arredondo who has been resident in Delano for over 40 years shared that she is highly concerned about more contaminants happening in the communities where they live and opposes this project on behalf of many of the many families who are suffering these contaminants and these conditions she said.

“This is the reason why I am against this project because these companies will mess with the farm workers’ safety and safety conditions who have to work to take food to their tables,” Arredondo said. 

“Let’s think of the danger. Let’s not say later on. Let’s look at this here before we approve a project. Let’s look at the consequences towards the future. Because that’s what we are. We are the future. Our grandchildren, our children are tomorrow’s future,” said Shalfter resident Annabelle Marquez. 

“I’m happy that the union members are still here because they’re being lied to and misled, and I would like to point out some truths that are in the staff report,” said Cesar Aguirre, a local activist. 

Aguirre continued, “In the staff report it says that public personnel working in the area could be exposed to greater than four percent, which may lead or may result in fatalities. This includes wonderful farm workers. As someone that was named after Cesar Chavez, I am disappointed in the Cesar Chavez Foundation for tokenizing farm workers despite putting them in direct danger. They’re going to go visit the grave of Cesar Chavez while possibly putting more farm workers in the grave.” 

The Cesar Chavez Foundation confirmed with Kern Sol News that they neither support or oppose the project. However, they also confirm that they are a beneficiary of CRC.