DRILLERS' COMPLAINTS HEEDED : COUNTY TRIES TO SIMPLIFY OIL PERMIT PROCESS.Byline: Kermit Pattison Daily News Staff Writer Seeking to oil the gears of one of the region's major industries, Ventura County may trim the red tape on petroleum permits. A committee of county officials and oil industry leaders has met for the last year and a half to simplify the complex knot knot In cording, the interlacement of parts of one or more ropes, cords, or other pliable materials, commonly used to bind objects together. Knots have existed from the time humans first used vines and cordlike fibers to bind stone heads to wood in primitive axes, and were of regulations governing petroleum and gas operations in Ventura County. ``The oil companies thought there was too much duplication duplication /du·pli·ca·tion/ (doo-pli-ka´shun) 1. the act or process of doubling, or the state of being doubled. 2. ,'' said Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn. ``They want to continue drilling and probing for oil in Ventura County. Unless the county loosens up, it's going to be hard for them to do that.'' The committee has proposed boiling down the existing regulations into a more concise standard package with a fraction of the existing conditions. Proponents say the revision will make it easier for companies to do business in Ventura County without weakening weak·en tr. & intr.v. weak·ened, weak·en·ing, weak·ens To make or become weak or weaker. weak  en·er n. environmental or safety regulations.
``Coastal counties have a reputation for being extremely hard to do business in,'' said Frank Holmes Major Frank Holmes also known as "Abu Naft" ("the father of oil") in Arabic was a British geologist. He was born on a farm in New Zealand in 1874. He worked in a South African gold mine and then for two decades, specializing in gold and tin was an itinerant mining engineer all , coastal coordinator of the Western States Petroleum Association office in Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. . ``It's going to take effort to get the word out Ventura County is willing to work with industry to make it reasonable for various companies to come in and do business. I think the proof will be in the practice.'' But some environmentalists have questioned the effort. ``I think it's a bunch of arm-waving and feel-good activity,'' said Neil Moyer, president of the Environmental Coalition of Ventura County. ``It will be characterized char·ac·ter·ize tr.v. character·ized, character·iz·ing, character·iz·es 1. To describe the qualities or peculiarities of: characterized the warden as ruthless. 2. as a streamlining and efficiency, but quite frankly it will boil down to `we'll do less and collect the permit fees.' '' ``It would appear the county is committing itself to lesser oversight, lesser accountability than there has been in the past,'' Moyer said. ``But at the same time, they're going to appear more efficient, cost-effective and politically correct politically correct Politically sensitive adjective Referring to language reflecting awareness and sensitivity to another person's physical, mental, cultural, or other disadvantages or deviations from a norm; a person is not mentally retarded, but . We will still have a problem of inadequate oversight.'' Tom Berg, director of the Ventura County Resource Management Agency, said the proposed regulations would not undermine health, safety or environmental regulations. Rather, he said, the proposal just will make existing rules simpler. ``It's psychological more than real,'' Berg said. ``The regulatory intent has not changed a bit. We have come up with a streamlined, lean, mean package.'' The county last reviewed its standard conditions for oil and gas permits in 1983. Since then, the list of conditions swelled from 49 to more than 100, some of them overlapping. In January 1995, Flynn organized meetings between county officials and oil company officials to review the regulations. Flynn said he was concerned the regulations were putting additional burdens on an industry already in decline. ``Ventura County is pro-oil, but the conditions were such the oil companies began to wonder,'' Flynn said. ``All the majors moved their headquarters out of here. I think the regulations had something to do with it.'' The committee distilled more than 100 standard conditions for oil permits to 22. The Ventura County Board of Supervisors The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in the U.S. on June 18 ordered staff members to analyze further options for streamlining permits and circulate cir·cu·late v. cir·cu·lat·ed, cir·cu·lat·ing, cir·cu·lates v.intr. 1. To move in or flow through a circle or circuit: blood circulating through the body. 2. the draft regulations for public review. After a 30-day public review, the supervisors will reconsider re·con·sid·er v. re·con·sid·ered, re·con·sid·er·ing, re·con·sid·ers v.tr. 1. To consider again, especially with intent to alter or modify a previous decision. 2. the proposal around September, Berg said. |
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