Price Canyon oil field expansion presents concerns

Freeport-McMoRan’s plans to add more than 450 wells to the Price Canyon oil field and expand the steam injection area present concerns:

▪  Geologic barriers separating the oil field’s underground bowl from local aquifers are fault lines — to the south by the San Miguelito Fault and to the north by the Los Osos fault zone (from the Geologic Hazards and Geotechnical Assessment Report).

▪  The environmental impact report is more than 10 years old (FEIR September 2004).

▪  The current four-year drought.

▪  Wastewater containing brine fouls the land, kills wildlife and threatens freshwater supplies.

▪  The Associated Press analysis of data finding that in leading oil and gas producing states, more than 180 million gallons of wastewater spilled from 2009-2014.

▪  The recent closure of 33 wells in Kern County due to state official improperly permitting oil field waste and production fluid into federally protected water supplies.

▪  It “is expected” that the injected fluid will remain in the exempted area and it “is not expected” that the injected fluid will affect the quality of water (quotes direct from the public notice regarding the aquifer expansion).

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Price Canyon oil field expansion presents concerns."