Our campaign to ban oil and gas drilling in Contra Costa is at a key point: On May 11 the county Planning Commission will meet to consider the new oil and gas policy in the Conservation Element of the General Plan, which will determine land use decisions for the next twenty years. Let’s all show up (via Zoom) to tell them: Ban drilling!
Under the current proposed plan, the county would keep approving more oil and gas drilling, with unspecified mitigation of negative impacts. They are proposing 3,200′ setbacks, but research has found harmful pollution from drilling 2.5 miles away.
And they’re begging the climate issue altogether. The new “code red for humanity” announcement from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we need to stop extracting fossil fuels before the end of the decade. Approving more fossil fuel extraction is counter to the county’s declared climate policy — and to a basic sense of survival!
So rather than meeting with each other this month on Sunday (which happens to be Mother’s Day), let’s all get together at the Planning Commission meeting May 11 and deliver our message loud and clear.
Most of the 3,300+ people who signed the petition are Contra Costa residents. But for this meeting, the Planning Commission needs to hear from people all over the Bay Area. We all have a stake in this! We need to tell them we’re counting on them to protect our health: both from immediate toxic pollution and climate catastrophe.
A detailed Guide for Commenting with more background information and talking points is here. For a full schedule of events and links to County meetings, see this post.
On May 8, we can honor our mothers in our personal ways. And we can honor all mothers and Mother Earth the following Wednesday by making it clear to the Planning Commission that drilling has to stop.
WHEN
Wednesday, May 11, 6:30 PM
WHERE
Agenda and zoom link will be posted here