The Union Pacific mainline runs directly through Carpinteria, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Goleta and Guadalupe and closely hugs the shoreline through the Gaviota Coast and Vandenberg Air Force Base. Currently three or more oil trains a week travel south from the San Ardo oil field through Santa Barbara County, each carrying up to 3 million gallons of crude oil. At least 55 creeks and unique coastal canyon ecosystems in the county are crossed by the tracks.
Imagine the disaster that would unfold if one of these trains derailed on one of the trestles. Just four rail cars carry the amount of crude oil that spilled at Refugio. Local jurisdictions have no control over these existing oil trains.
Meanwhile, Phillips 66 proposes to build a rail terminal at its Santa Maria Refinery to accommodate mile-long trains with 80 tank cars full of crude oil. According to the environmental impact report for this project, we can expect up to five trains per week full of the highly volatile Canadian tar sands crude oil to arrive here. The railroad may route these trains either through the Bay Area and San Luis Obispo, or through Southern California and Santa Barbara County.
We should all urge the SLO County Planning Commission to deny the rail terminal so we will not see a huge increase in oil train traffic in Santa Barbara County and elsewhere.
Then, think about the water we drink and water our crops with in the Santa Maria Valley. Our aquifer is crisscrossed by oil pipelines, penetrated by active and abandoned oil wells, and overlain by two refineries.
We are told all the oil pipelines in Santa Barbara County — other than the one at Refugio — have valves that shut off the flow of oil upon any change in pressure that might indicate a leak.
What happened, then, on the evening of June 2 near Santa Maria, when a Phillips 66 pipeline spilled oil on California Boulevard? A passerby discovered the spill and alerted officials. An undetected pipeline leak could put the water we drink and use on crops at risk.
We need systematic tests of our water supply to detect not only pesticide residues, which are done routinely, but also possible contamination from leaks and spills related to oil production and oil transportation.
Ken Hough is executive director of Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN). He can be reached at Ken@sbcan.org. Looking Forward is a progressive look at local issues.