Exxon Mobile’s request for an emergency permit to use tanker trucks to haul crude oil from a Las Flores Canyon Facility along Highway 101 to a refinery 70 miles away has been denied, in part because of protesters who are concerned about safety.
The decision comes in the wake of May’s pipeline rupture which slowed Exxon’s oil production down to 10,000 barrels per day.
Exxon’s plan was to use eight trucks every hour, all day, every day, with each tanker carrying 6,720 gallons of crude oil, which could amount to 5000 truck trips per month. However, environmentalists practically threatened to sue if the permit was granted, leading protests that for clean energy and carrying signs that said “End Oil Now”. They cited the S-curve along the route, high winds, and the presence of creeks along the way as high environmental risks for the amount of truck traffic that would be passing through the area. Adding that many trucks to the road would also increase traffic congestion, protesters said.
Exxon does have the option of applying for a customary permit, which would entail a public hearing, CEQA review, policy and ordinance consistency analysis.
Sources:
Keyt
Santa Barbara Independent