BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to approve a revised oil and gas rezoning ordinance that could allow for nearly 2,700 new oil wells to be permitted each year.
- The vote followed more than three hours of public testimony and debate, with dozens of residents, industry leaders, and community advocates packing the chambers.
- The approved ordinance is backed by a Second Supplemental Recirculated Environmental Impact Report (SSREIR), a document over a decade in the making and totaling 74 binders of environmental review.
The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to approve a revised oil and gas rezoning ordinance that could allow for nearly 2,700 new oil wells to be permitted each year.
The vote followed more than three hours of public testimony and debate, with dozens of residents, industry leaders, and community advocates packing the chambers. The approved ordinance is backed by a Second Supplemental Recirculated Environmental Impact Report (SSREIR), a document over a decade in the making and totaling 74 binders of environmental review.
Planning Director Lorelei Oviatt said the revisions address just three items required by court rulings: the appropriate use of agricultural easements, updated health risk assessments for multiple well sites, and the impact of water use on disadvantaged communities.
"While the state is achieving its goals for zero-emission vehicles, oil demand in California has remained stable over the last three years,” Oviatt said.
Chevron, one of Kern County’s largest oil producers, warned that without the ordinance, energy operations could continue to decline. The company says it employs over 600 people locally and contributes more than $40 million in property taxes annually.
“The recent events in the Middle East reinforce the need for energy security,” said Chevron Vice President Allen Pitts.
Kern County has seen a 60% decline in oil-related tax revenue over the past decade. Local leaders, including Taft Mayor Dave Noerr, said the economic toll has been devastating, forcing many small operators to shut down.
Still, not everyone supported the move. Environmental advocates and residents raised concerns about air and water quality, public health, and oversight.
“This ordinance does not eliminate the harms to our community,” one attorney said during public comment, urging supervisors to reject the plan in favor of a “healthier, more sustainable future.”
Some community health advocates, like Kyioshi Tomono of the Blue Zones Project, argued the ordinance could still benefit Kern County if done right.
“We can do it safely, in an organized fashion, and provide economic benefit to the county,” he said.
District 32 Assemblyman Stan Ellis, a Republican, voiced his support for the measure and criticized the state’s energy policy.
“Gas prices are going to hit $8 a gallon because of the governor's failed energy policy,” Ellis said.
The ordinance, which has faced years of legal battles and nearly $68 million in litigation costs, still faces a final court review.
“Until we go back to court and they say we did it right this time, the fight is not over,” Oviatt said.
Litigants have 30 days to challenge the ordinance.
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