[Editor’s Note: A day and a half after receiving an invitation from organizer and community activist Tom Camarella to participate in a Saturday, Aug. 4, symposium on fracking, possibly in Council Chambers, an executive from the oil company PXP responded to Mr. Camarella at 10:30 this morning. A copy was obtained by the newspaper, and it is reproduced below. It is not yet known whether PXP’s declination to participate will kill the event or how the City Council will vote Monday on making Chambers available, if there is a symposium. Mr. Camarella’s invitation follows the PXP letter.]
Tom,
Thank you for your note dated 7/18/12. Your email invitation was forwarded to me to respond.
At this time PXP respectively declines to participate in the panel discussion you are proposing. As you are aware, there have been multiple public meetings recently held on the topic of hydraulic fracturing at the Inglewood Oil Field, including the March 8 CAP meeting that you attended. As I reported at that meeting, PXP is in the process of preparing a comprehensive study on the utilization of high volume hydraulic fracturing at the Inglewood Oil Field. The study is being prepared as a condition of the settlement agreement that was reached between L.A. County, PXP, Culver City, NRDC, Community Health Councils, CCSC and other groups that were involved in litigation over the County’s adoption of the CSD regulations in 2008. Once completed it will be the first site specific study on the topic of hydraulic fracturing that has been conducted in the state of California and will provide a good opportunity for the public to get information that evaluates the technology from a geological, engineering, and potential environmental impacts standpoint.
It is also important to note that the study was sought by the litigants that had challenged the County’s adoption of the regulations – not PXP. In terms of status, I’m happy to share that the study has been completed and turned over to the independent peer reviewer for their analysis, in accordance with the terms of the settlement. Once their review is complete, the study will be released to the public. Until that study is complete and the public has a chance to review the findings, it would be premature in our view for PXP to participate in any public panel discussions.
As you may also be aware, as a condition of the CSD ordinance, PXP is required to hold an annual community meeting that provides the public a chance to ask questions about activities at the oil field. This meeting is in addition to the monthly meetings of the CAP that are also open to the public where people can come and ask questions of the nature that will be the focus of the proposed symposium. This year’s annual meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 19 and the agenda will include a detailed overview of the study. It is our view that this forum will provide the appropriate venue to hold the Q&A discussion you are proposing and will also provide the public the greatest opportunity to be informed since they will have had the benefit of reading the study prior to the meeting.
We recognize there is a strong desire on the part of many members of the community to get answers to their questions, given the manner in which the topic of hydraulic fracturing has been covered in the media. Based on the testimony that was offered at the June 12 DOGGR workshop that was held in Culver City, it is equally obvious to us that there is a significant amount of misinformation that has already been circulated by various advocacy groups. The annual public meeting will provide us collectively a good opportunity to hold an informed discussion with Q&A opportunities and we hope you will plan to attend that event.
Finally, as Mr. (Steve) Rusch, PXP’s V.P. of Environmental Health & Safety and Government Affairs, recently wrote to thefrontpageonline.com, PXP has no pending applications in front of Culver City, and we have no plans to drill and complete wells in Culver City using high volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing, the type of operations that have been the subject of extensive media attention. PXP is complying fully with L.A. County’s Community Standards District (CSD), even within the Culver City boundaries, where the City is contemplating a similar ordinance. The comprehensive Environmental Impact Report prepared by the County, not PXP as has been alleged, provides a comprehensive and scientific analysis of the potential health and safety impacts of PXP’s oil field drilling and operational activities. The EIR also recommended mitigations to ensure the community is protected from these potential impacts. As you may not be aware, those impacts were based on a well count far higher than was finally negotiated in the litigation settlement. A copy of the full EIR can be accessed at the following site: http://www.inglewoodoilfield.com/res/docs/baldwin_hills_community_standards_district_final_eir%20.pdf
Thank you again for your invitation. Please feel free to call me directly if you would like to discuss this matter further.
John Martini
Manager, EH&S and Government Affairs
Plains Exploration & Production Company
1200 Discovery Drive #500
Bakersfield, CA 93309
Office: 661-395-5232
Mr. Martini also may be contacted at jmartini@pxp.com
The Other Side
[Editor’s Note: Late Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Camarella sent the following message to Lisa Paillet, PXP’s ombudsperson.]
Dear Lisa:
I am creating a symposium for the Culver City Council and residents who have questions and wanted to fill in gaps of knowledge re “fracking.” We are requesting PXP to be on a panel presenting the costs and benefits of fracking. In order to provide pertinent data, the organizers would appreciate only PXP personnel who have been directly connected with the Inglewood Oil Field (example – Steve Rusch or John Martini). Since Culver City is reviewing their oil drilling ordinances in the very near future, the date is August 4, 2012, from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Please call or forward this to the appropriate person at your earliest convenience so I can arrange with PXP the details and make sure this symposium is beneficial to all parties concerned. Obviously, since August 4 is almost upon us, time is of the essence.
Whoever receives this email for action, please give me a call along with an email answer.
Mr. Camarella may be contacted at Tom4CulverCity@aol.com
