One of the last oil-related projects in the pipeline will land in the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission’s hands on Wednesday when the panel will decide whether to allow or deny ExxonMobil’s interim trucking operation.
ExxonMobil has proposed a phased restart of the Santa Ynez Unit — offshore platforms of Hondo, Harmony, and Heritage — by first trucking produced crude oil from the Las Flores Canyon facility.
Those platforms have been shut down since the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill, which was caused by a rupture in the Plains All American transportation pipeline that transports oil from the Santa Barbara County South Coast to refineries.
In the ExxonMobil proposal, oil would be trucked either to the Santa Maria Pump Station for eventual delivery to the Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery in southern San Luis Obispo County or the Pentland Terminal in Kern County.
But staff recommended, and ExxonMobil agreed, to a pair of modifications, one of which is linked to the planned closure of the Santa Maria Refinery.
Under the revised proposal, trucking would only occur to the Santa Maria Pump Station, 1580 E. Battles Road, until the refinery ceases operating, possibly in 2023.
Additionally, trucking would not occur during heavy rainy periods, defined as a 50% chance of receiving one-half inch of precipitation.
After reviewing four options ranging from no project to the proposed project, staff suggested the next best environmentally superior option.
“Combining the No Trucking During Rainy Periods Alternative with the Trucking to the SMPS Only Alternative (while available), would result in the potential severity of an oil spill impacting sensitive resources (i.e., biological, water, marine, and cultural resources) being reduced compared to the proposed project,” county planning staff said.
Oil tanker trucks could make deliveries to the Kern County site if the Santa Maria Pump Station is temporarily inoperable, but would be restricted to 34 trucks per day.
From Gaviota, trucks would enter Highway 101 via Refugio Road and Calle Real Road before traveling to north with the loads of oil.
To access the Santa Maria site, the trucks would get off Highway 101 at Betteravia Road and travel east to Rosemary Road and then Battles.
Trucks headed to Kern County would have to travels east on Highway 166, a two-lane, curvy road known for its deadly crashes.
The Planning Commission’s decisions on the trucking proposal will serve as a recommendation to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, which will have the final say.
Project opponents have cited several concerns including the risks of oil spills, citing the March 2020 truck crash that sent oil into the Cuyama River.
Planning staff said they discussed lessons learned from that incident with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, and added mitigation measures to the supplemental environmental impact report.
Other concerns included increased traffic, ongoing reliance on fossil fuels amid climate change and more.
County planning staff members have received dozens of letters, which spelled out concerns or support ranging from multiple paragraphs or in one instance just five words, “Please DO NOT ALLOW this!”
Supporters of the trucking plan noted the significant tax benefits that would accompany the project with millions of dollars expected to be generated for local schools and other agencies.
Restarting the offshore platforms would provide high-paying jobs, helping boost the economy, supporters added.
The offshore platforms have been shut down since the 2015 oil spill caused by a pipeline rupture near Refugio State Beach.
The trucking project is viewed as a temporary plan since Plains All American Pipeline has proposed building replacement pipelines for the 123.4 mile system known as Lines 901 and 903. The pipelines travel from Gaviota to Sisquoc and then from Sisquoc to Kern County. The existing pipelines have been shut down since the oil spill.
This week’s Planning Commission hearing and decision focuses on the trucking proposal with the pipeline replacement a separate application still working its way through the county planning process.
Environmental documents for the pipeline replacement may be released to the public this fall or winter, county planning official said.
They are the only oil-related projects still pending in the county.
Last year, three firms — Aera Energy, Terracore Operating Company (formerly ERG Resources) and PetroRock — scrapped oil drilling proposals for Cat Canyon.
The Planning Commission’s remote meeting will start at 9 a.m. Wednesday with Friday set aside in case they need more time.
Comments on the oil trucking proposal via email were due by noon Monday to Recording Secretary, David Villalobos at dvillalo@countyofsb.org.
To make a public comment during the virtual hearing register in advance by clicking here. After registering, a confirmation email will be sent with information about joining the webinar.
The live stream of the County Planning Commission meeting is available on local Cable Channel 20, online at http://www.countyofsb.org/ceo/csbtv/livestream.sbc, and on YouTube.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.