DAVID & GOLIATH: ANOTHER SOUTH CENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD FIGHTING BIG OIL
WHAT: Emergency Meeting on New Oil Well Construction in Historic West Adams Neighborhood
WHEN: Saturday January 11, 2014; 9:00am-10:30am
WHERE: Holman United Methodist Church
3220 W. Adams Blvd. (just east of Arlington)
Los Angeles, CA 90018
CONTACT: Pastor Kelvin Sauls @ 323-731-7285
Local residents and faith community have called upon their elected officials at the City, State and Federal levels to halt the construction of three new oil wells at 2126 W Adams Blvd until health, safety and quality of life protections can be secured. Invited to participate are Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, State Senator Holly Mitchell (confirmed), State Assembly Member Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, and Congress Member Karen Bass (confirmed).
There has been a recent surge in oil drilling throughout the City of Los Angeles. Old oil wells throughout residential areas of Los Angeles are being revived and new wells are being constructed. Oil companies are now attempting to squeeze every last drop of oil from rocks deep beneath the Earth, previously thought to be impossible to extract.
Recent oil production methods pose risks that are more dangerous than traditional oil production of decades past in Los Angeles. There are new, and larger amounts of, potentially deadly chemicals used in these methods, such as hydrofluoric acid. The drilling is no longer shallow and straight into the ground using pump jacks, but goes much deeper into the ground, and under homes (called slant drilling or “spider drilling”). At least ten neighborhoods in South LA and the Wilshire Corridor are currently affected by upsets, blowouts, releases, and spills of odorous and toxic materials from the oil production operations.
Local residents in South Los Angeles have documented the negative impacts modern oil production operations have had on their health, safety and quality of life, including:
- Headaches, nausea, stomach pains, and nosebleeds
- Keeping windows shut 24 hours a day, 365 days a year due to strong and unpleasant fumes and odors
- Preventing children from playing outdoors when the odors are most potent
- Diesel trucks blocking traffic, taking up valuable residential parking space, driving onto sidewalks damaging them, and idling for long periods worsening fumes and odors
- Lack of emergency numbers posted
- Mechanical failure with oil wells causing houses and cars to be soiled with oil
- Constant loud noises and shaking of homes throughout the night