To: California State Attorney General Xavier Becerra and San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors
California State Attorney General: Shut Down these Wells
To: California State Attorney General Xavier Becerra:
"The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. " United Nations Right to Water 2010.
There is no substitute for water. We can not unpoison a well.
We have a right to be free from the fear of irreparable and irreversible harm to our water. Shut down the offending wells now.
Shut down the oil drilling operations that failed to meet the Feb. 15, 2017 deadline to shut down all unvetted Toxic Waste Injection sites per the Safe Drinking Water Act.
There are thousands of toxic injection wells in California that need certification and millions of people whose water is in jeopardy of contamination from sites that have escaped certification. There must be an end to the uncertainty about the safety of our water.
Enforce the Feb. 15 shut down deadline now.
The Attorney General has independent authority, acting directly in the name of the People, "to take action to protect the natural resources of the State of California from pollution, impairment or destruction."
Therefore, WE, the undersigned, do hereby implore and beseech State Attorney General Xavier Becerra to provide the leadership we have come to rely on to protect and safeguard Californians human and natural resources for this and future generations and enforce as stipulated the Feb. 15, 2017 shut down of all unpermitted, non compliant Underground Injection Control sites per the Safe Drinking Water Act.
"The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. " United Nations Right to Water 2010.
There is no substitute for water. We can not unpoison a well.
We have a right to be free from the fear of irreparable and irreversible harm to our water. Shut down the offending wells now.
Shut down the oil drilling operations that failed to meet the Feb. 15, 2017 deadline to shut down all unvetted Toxic Waste Injection sites per the Safe Drinking Water Act.
There are thousands of toxic injection wells in California that need certification and millions of people whose water is in jeopardy of contamination from sites that have escaped certification. There must be an end to the uncertainty about the safety of our water.
Enforce the Feb. 15 shut down deadline now.
The Attorney General has independent authority, acting directly in the name of the People, "to take action to protect the natural resources of the State of California from pollution, impairment or destruction."
Therefore, WE, the undersigned, do hereby implore and beseech State Attorney General Xavier Becerra to provide the leadership we have come to rely on to protect and safeguard Californians human and natural resources for this and future generations and enforce as stipulated the Feb. 15, 2017 shut down of all unpermitted, non compliant Underground Injection Control sites per the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Why is this important?
I invite all those that are living with unlicensed operators and illegal dumping of toxic waste in your backyard to sign this petition and name your site in the petition. Let the Attorney General know each and every site that is harboring unlicensed operators. We will make this official. We will deliver this personally to the Attorney General with your site clearly cited for the record. I am hoping that this will be a call to action for our Chief Law Enforcement Officer. We have a right to be recognized and our concerns acknowledged. We have a right to petition our government for redress of grievances. This is a time sensitive grievance we need resolved now.
On Feb 15, 2017 we the people of California were looking for relief from the constant fear and uncertainty of contamination of our water by uncertified Toxic Waste Injection operators. Our hope of relief was shattered when The State Department of Conservation Division of Gas, Oil and Geothermal Resources failed to honor their deadline to shut down all oil drilling wells and sites that had not been properly vetted by DOGGR. This is an forgivable breach of trust.
DOGGR defaulted on their deadline date and unvetted wells remain fully operational.
The State of California was delegated primary responsibility for implementing the Class II oil and gas underground injection control (UIC) program of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1983.
DOGGR has admitted the program has never been fully operational or functional citing unresolved and ongoing staffing and funding issues that prevented them from implementing, monitoring and enforcing a fail safe, secure program.
As a part of its oversight role, EPA audited the California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources’ (DOGGR) Class II UIC primacy program in 2011 and identified substantial implementation deficiencies.
DOGGR, together with The State Water Resources Board and the EPA agreed to set Feb. 15, 2017 as the deadline for completion of the implementation of the UIC program with the condition that all non-compliant, undocumented operations would be shut down for our own safety and well being.
That deadline has come and gone and nothing has changed. All the wells are still in operation. This is a breach of trust by the agencies entrusted with the safety of our water. It is beyond reason to expect us to have any faith or confidence in this process.
It has been 33 years since DOGGR was given the responsibility of implementing a program to protect and safeguard our underground water resources from an accident prone industry with a history of mechanical malfunctions and human error that uses a patented toxic waste disposal process that has been proven to compromise the geological integrity of the subterranean soil. Under these conditions accidents, spills, explosions and contamination of our water resources is inevitable.
The Feb 15, deadline was going to put an end to the uncertainty, constant stress and anxiety of not knowing if our water is safe.
DOGGR still has problems as does the EPA. Under this new administration the EPA is facing the threat of being dismantled. This situation is unbearable and only compounds our fear and anxiety over conditions that threaten water resources critical to our well being.
It does not seem at all fair nor does it instill any confidence in our regulatory process or law enforcement that we must bear the burden of a flawed system that risks irreversible and irreparable damage to a limited natural resource and a public good fundamental for life and health. Water.
For over 15 years we have been living with the unauthorized and unlicensed dumping of toxic waste into the unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo County.
This odious omnipresence plagues many communities throughout California as the undersigned will attest to citing their areas of dire concern.
This uncertainty must end. The unvetted sites MUST be shut down.
The Attorney General has independent authority, acting directly in the name of the People, "to take action to protect the natural resources of the State of California from pollution, impairment, or destruction."
Therefore, WE, the undersigned, do hereby implore and beseech State Attorney General Xavier Becerra to provide the leadership we have come to rely on to protect and safeguard Californians human and natural resources for this and future generations and enforce as stipulated the Feb. 15, 2017 shut down of all unpermitted, non compliant Underground Injection Control sites per the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Thank you.
On Feb 15, 2017 we the people of California were looking for relief from the constant fear and uncertainty of contamination of our water by uncertified Toxic Waste Injection operators. Our hope of relief was shattered when The State Department of Conservation Division of Gas, Oil and Geothermal Resources failed to honor their deadline to shut down all oil drilling wells and sites that had not been properly vetted by DOGGR. This is an forgivable breach of trust.
DOGGR defaulted on their deadline date and unvetted wells remain fully operational.
The State of California was delegated primary responsibility for implementing the Class II oil and gas underground injection control (UIC) program of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1983.
DOGGR has admitted the program has never been fully operational or functional citing unresolved and ongoing staffing and funding issues that prevented them from implementing, monitoring and enforcing a fail safe, secure program.
As a part of its oversight role, EPA audited the California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources’ (DOGGR) Class II UIC primacy program in 2011 and identified substantial implementation deficiencies.
DOGGR, together with The State Water Resources Board and the EPA agreed to set Feb. 15, 2017 as the deadline for completion of the implementation of the UIC program with the condition that all non-compliant, undocumented operations would be shut down for our own safety and well being.
That deadline has come and gone and nothing has changed. All the wells are still in operation. This is a breach of trust by the agencies entrusted with the safety of our water. It is beyond reason to expect us to have any faith or confidence in this process.
It has been 33 years since DOGGR was given the responsibility of implementing a program to protect and safeguard our underground water resources from an accident prone industry with a history of mechanical malfunctions and human error that uses a patented toxic waste disposal process that has been proven to compromise the geological integrity of the subterranean soil. Under these conditions accidents, spills, explosions and contamination of our water resources is inevitable.
The Feb 15, deadline was going to put an end to the uncertainty, constant stress and anxiety of not knowing if our water is safe.
DOGGR still has problems as does the EPA. Under this new administration the EPA is facing the threat of being dismantled. This situation is unbearable and only compounds our fear and anxiety over conditions that threaten water resources critical to our well being.
It does not seem at all fair nor does it instill any confidence in our regulatory process or law enforcement that we must bear the burden of a flawed system that risks irreversible and irreparable damage to a limited natural resource and a public good fundamental for life and health. Water.
For over 15 years we have been living with the unauthorized and unlicensed dumping of toxic waste into the unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo County.
This odious omnipresence plagues many communities throughout California as the undersigned will attest to citing their areas of dire concern.
This uncertainty must end. The unvetted sites MUST be shut down.
The Attorney General has independent authority, acting directly in the name of the People, "to take action to protect the natural resources of the State of California from pollution, impairment, or destruction."
Therefore, WE, the undersigned, do hereby implore and beseech State Attorney General Xavier Becerra to provide the leadership we have come to rely on to protect and safeguard Californians human and natural resources for this and future generations and enforce as stipulated the Feb. 15, 2017 shut down of all unpermitted, non compliant Underground Injection Control sites per the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Thank you.