BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Kern County’s long-standing role in California’s oil industry is set to continue on federal land after a new federal report concluded future oil and gas development can move forward under the current land-use plan.
The Bureau of Land Management reviewed the environmental impacts of drilling and fracking across parts of the Central Valley and determined the updated analysis did not show enough major impacts to change the existing land management plan.
Environmental advocates raised concerns about pollution and public health, particularly air quality. Cooper Kass, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said, “Oil and gas production is inherently dangerous, it releases pollution which affects the environment and wildlife, the air we breathe, the water we drink.”
The report acknowledges Kern County already faces severe air pollution challenges, but it says oil and gas account for only a small fraction of total emissions compared with wildfires, vehicles and agriculture.
Water use was also a key issue in the review. The BLM said oil and gas development uses only a small portion of the local water supply when compared with agriculture. Opponents, however, argue concerns remain about groundwater contamination.
Another concern raised was the long-term impact of new wells. “Every new well that drilled will eventually stop producing and become an idle well, and a lot of idle wells leak pollutants,” Kass said.
The report also flagged valley fever as a major concern in Kern County, saying multiple plots are located in areas where the illness is already endemic and that construction could disturb dust that carries fungal spores. Officials said companies would be expected to use dust-control measures and worker protections if projects move forward.
The BLM says that this report doesn’t immediately expand drilling — but keeps the door open for future development.
Each project would still need additional environmental review.