Anti-fracking activists expect to rally supporters in San Juan Bautista Jan. 17, during a renewable energy panel on Californians Against Fracking’s California Crossroads tour. The discussion will feature speakers from San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, aiming to shed light on local activists’ fight against the fossil fuel economy, including what some call an assault by the industry on sustainable businesses and innovation.
The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars at 58 Monterey St. in San Juan Bautista. Speakers will include county-level government officials, and touch on fossil fuels, solar power and agriculture, according to Mary Hsia-Coron, an Aromas resident who heads San Benito Rising, a co-sponsor of the event.
“At this ‘Crossroads’ event, San Benito Rising hopes to promote discussions about how to transition to a sustainable, economic future — in both our county and the surrounding region,” said Hsia-Coron in a statement to BenitoLink.
David Braun, a co-founder and an organizer of Americans Against Fracking, told BenitoLink that the event will help the group and communities raise awareness and money, and build power to protect themselves against oil companies.
“It is important to share updates on the local campaign against unconventional stimulation and toxic methods utilized by the oil and gas industry, and understand where that campaign is in the greater framing of the state of California,” said Braun. “Also, it is important to continue pushing forward the Community Difference fund, which helps folks raise money for potential legal challenges against the oil and gas industry.” Braun added that agricultural businesses depend on clean water and air to sustain and innovate their operations.
The event Saturday will mark the sixth of seven stops on the California Crossroads tour, which points to Americans Against Fracking’s March for Real Climate Leadership Feb. 7 in Oakland, according to the group’s website. While oil producers seek new techniques to develop their businesses in California, the third-largest producer of oil among the states, opposition builds against fracking.
Voters in San Benito County last year overwhelmingly approved Measure J, which calls for a local ban of certain methods of oil extraction, including steam injection and matrix acidization. In the wake of Measure J’s passage, Citadel Exploration Inc. — a California oil producer whose operation in the Bitterwater area had received the blessing of local government officials — subsequently sued the county for $1.2 billion: the company wants compensation for the diminished value of Project Indian, or permission under an exemption ordinance for full-field development and steam injection there, according to a regulatory filing by the company.
San Benito County Chief Administrative Officer Ray Espinosa did not immediately respond to a request by BenitoLink for a comment on the lawsuit. Ahead of voters’ rejection last November of some forms of oil production, county supervisors passed an ordinance that potentially could let Citadel apply for an exemption to the measure.