LA COUNTY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN:
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
As we approach the 50th Earth Day, LA County’s official Climate Action Planning (CAP) committee is now accepting comments from the public on how to help implement the County’s new Sustainability Plan. Goal #1 is about creating “Resilient and healthy community environments where residents thrive in place.” Goal #7 calls for a “Fossil Fuel Free La County.” The deadline for comments ends soon, Thursday, April 30th.
Join all of us at Frack Free LA County to email your comments into the Climate Action Planning committee as soon as soon as possible. You can copy and paste the following or write your own letter:
TO: climate@planning.lacounty.gov, tstapleton@planning.lacounty.gov
BCC: Tyler@FrackfreeLACounty.com
SUBJECT: Climate Action Plan Comment
The Los Angeles County Climate Action Plan, March 2020 Public Review Draft (click here to view) has an important element missing that can be readily addressed by immediately (rather than long term) implementing Climate Leadership goal CL2, namely to “Collaborate with the City of Los Angeles and other cities to develop a sunset strategy for all oil and gas operations that prioritizes disproportionately affected communities.”
Why prioritize CL2? The Baldwin Hills/Inglewood Oil Field’s operations disproportionately affect over a half million people. Conclusions of a recent (April 24, 2020) Harvard study indicate a significant relationship between “long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States.” A small increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 leads to a large increase in the COVID-19 death rate, bringing it closer to home. Click here to view article.
To allow this trend to continue would not only be a moral outrage, but a blatant disrespect for your fiduciary responsibility as public servants! We can address this with due process and all due diligence!
The Baldwin Hills/Inglewood Oil Field’s regulations (CSD) are currently undergoing an updating review.
We recommend coordination within the Department of Regional Planning to hold public hearings to create a prototype that will address a just transition by setting an end date of 2030 for operations at the oil field to cease in accord with the County’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accord.
As a minimum let’s turn the County’s meme of “leadership by example” into truly beneficial action by the County committing to:
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Require that the Operators begin plugging all idle wells and those within 2,500’ of residences and sensitive receptor areas by the end of 2020, so that all 1,463+ wells are properly closed by 2030.
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Then by 2030 or before begin training employees to remove, and properly dispose of all infrastructure to avoid ongoing outgassing, and engage in remediation of the oil field.
We ask you to expedite this request as worsening climate disasters will suffer no delays.
Thank you in advance for your service to uphold the common good.
*Your Name*
*Your City* (if not in LA county, explain why this is important to you):
*Attach any supporting articles or documents*