COUNTYWIDE : Rule Against Diesel Oil Rigs Approved

The County Board of Supervisors approved a rule Tuesday that requires oil-field drilling operators to power their rigs with electricity rather than diesel-fueled engines.

The new rule was met with little opposition from the oil industry, which has one year to equip rigs to comply with the regulation proposed by the county’s Air Pollution Control District.

The rule is aimed at cutting air pollution. The diesel engines emit large amounts of nitrogen oxide, which goes into the formation of ozone, a primary ingredient of smog. The county is under a federal mandate to clean up its air.

According to APCD officials, the 40 wells drilled in 1989 emitted 118 tons of nitrogen oxide, which amounts to .05% of the county’s total nitrogen oxide emissions.

Under the proposed rule, an operator could seek an exemption from the requirement if it can be shown that electric power would not be cost-effective. If an exemption is granted, the operator must use a diesel-powered rig that emits acceptable levels of pollution.

APCD officials estimated that it would cost about $225,000 to equip a drilling rig to operate by electricity.

Floyd Clawson, an oil consultant based in Ventura, was the only industry representative who appeared at the hearing to oppose the new rule. He said it would kill the incentive for oil drilling in the county.

An advisory committee participated in the drafting of the rule, and two workshops were held to inform oil companies about it. The district made several concessions to the companies in the process. One was a four-year exemption from the rule for shallow drilling rigs because low-pollution diesel engines for this purpose are not readily available.

“Oil is a vital interest in this county,” Supervisor Maggie Erickson said, adding that she hoped that the rule was a workable compromise rather than an effort to shut down oil operations.

Richard Baldwin, the county’s air pollution control officer, insisted the rule was not “a no-on-oil rule.”