Announcement comes on the heels of San Francisco being hit with an EPA notice of violation

The last time we checked California’s “resistance” against Trump, the president had threatened to cite San Francisco for violating Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

That round seems to be going to Trump, as the EPA has formally issued a notice to San Francisco for violations of regulations related to the Clean Water Act.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation to San Francisco on Wednesday, accusing the city of improperly discharging waste into the ocean and bay and following through on President Trump’s recent pledge to cite San Francisco for water pollution. …“Substantial volumes of raw and partially treated sewage” at times flow across beaches, the notice says. City officials were still reviewing the notice of violation late Wednesday, but some were quick to dismiss it as just another volley in the Trump administration’s continuing war on California.

As Trump continues to fulfill his promise to make the U.S. energy independent, his administration has just announced it would open up over 720,000 acres of federal land in California for oil and gas development.

This move ends a five-year moratorium on leases in the state.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management approved a resource management plan for the oil-rich Central California coastal region, which would issue 14 previously litigated leases in Monterey and San Benito counties, which were suspended amid a legal challenge by two conservation groups six years ago, and open up new acres for leasing. The BLM has not held a lease sale in California since 2013, when a judge ruled that the agency illegally issued leases without analyzing the environmental impact of drilling called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Interestingly, the move sends some much needed fiscal help to economically challenged portions of the Golden State, which are often overlooked by Sacramento.

According to the decision, oil and gas drilling can move forward on more than 700,000 acres of public land and mineral estate in Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Stanislaus Counties. The agency’s plan could result in up to 37 new oil and gas wells drilling on new land leases over the next 20 years, primarily in Fresno, Monterey and San Benito counties. BLM estimates that the oil and gas industry directly supports 3,000 jobs and $623 million in tax revenue within those counties. BLM, which is a division of the Department of Interior, is also considering a proposal to conduct new oil and gas development on 1.6 million acres of public land in Southern California. The planning area, which covers Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties, includes about 400,000 acres of public land and 1.2 million acres of federal mineral estate, according to the report.

If you can handle any more schadendfreude, here are some of the responses to the move by green justice warriors.

Merging ‘Loyalty to the Oil Industry’ and ‘Grudge Against California,’ Trump Opens 725,000 Acres to Fossil Fuel Drilling https://t.co/eR3WZknIFp — Common Dreams (@commondreams) October 5, 2019

Trump declares war on the #environment – opens 720,000 acres in #California to new #oil drillinghttps://t.co/ii51LEkNfE — Trey in LA (@CheshirePanther) October 5, 2019

Here we are in a climate crisis and now the Trump administration has opened up several acres of central California to more oil and natural gas drilling. Does this administration have any kind of concern for the future we are leaving for our children and grandchildren. — Melissa Coleman (@Melissa15339728) October 5, 2019

Of course, the promise of job creation and lower gas prices is appreciated by many Californians.

Trump administration opens up drilling on federal land in California https://t.co/YsCfeMIkQj Awesome we need the high paying jobs! — lucky one USA. (@stewdude59) October 5, 2019

It will be interesting to see how many 2020 votes Trump may be able to tap into bypassing Sacramento and its progressive politicians.



