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Petition signing drives to be held at nine sites statewide
Protect California Food will be holding community education and petition signing drives this Saturday, July 16, calling on Gov. Jerry Brown and the State Water Resources Control Board to halt the use of recycled oil field wastewater in irrigating California’s crops until it is screened for dangerous levels of toxins.
Nine petition collection sites will be held throughout California by the coalition of nonprofit environmental groups that form Protect California Food. Petition supporters claim that irrigation of crops with recycled oil field wastewater is unacceptable with independent and comprehensive scientific analysis.
According to a Sacramento Bee special report by Carolyn Norr, a member of Protect California Food, “…What we do know is that there are hundreds of chemicals used in fossil fuel operations, some of which are known to cause cancer, kidney failure and liver damage. The Center of Biological Diversity found that oil wastewater contained dangerous levels of benzene, chromium-6 and toluene – chemicals that are all linked to cancer and reproductive issues.
“The danger here is clear: Plants take up the water they are irrigated with. I have done the experiment with my older son where we put a stalk of celery in a glass of water with red food coloring, and the celery turns red. If we swap benzene for the food coloring, it becomes an experiment I don’t want to do…”
The controversy over the use of recycled toxic oil is yet another consequence of California’s on-going four-year-plus drought. Protect California Food’s website claims that, “Big Oil has taken advantage of our farmers’ desperate need for water and is selling them oil wastewater at a cheap rate for irrigation.”
Currently, according to Norr, more than 100 farms in California are using oil wastewater for irrigation – and it’s been going on for more than 20 years.
Oil company advocates claim that their wastewater is treated in a variety of processes, including settling ponds, designed to remove toxic contaminants. Chevron spokesman Cameron Van Ast said that, ““Water reuse programs like ours are an important conservation strategy and provide a significant and important benefit to local farmers and California.”
Opponents dispute claims by the oil companies. They contend that only limited testing is done of the recycled water targeted for irrigation and is not subject to screening for chemicals used in the oil fields.
Thus far, more than 276,00 people have signed the petition for delivery to Gov. Brown and the Stte Water Resources Control Board. Saturday’s nine community education and petition collecting sites includes:
Stop Watering Our Crops with Toxic Oil Wastewater!
9:00 AM
Chico Library
1108 Sherman Avenue
Chico, CA 95926
Protect our food petition
8:00 AM
Farmers Markets Locations
throughout Sacramento County
Sacramento, CA
Protect California Food – Stop Oil Waste on Crops
11:30 AM
Whole Foods
2001 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
Protect our Food!
11:00 AM
Trader Joe’s / Safeway
Southshore Shopping Center
Alameda, CA 94501
Protect California Food – Fresno!
11:00 AM
Sprouts Farmers Market
7477 N Blackstone Ave
Fresno, CA 93720
Stop Using Oil Waste Water on Our Food
11:00 AM
Whole Foods
3761 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Un-Frack Our Food
12:00 PM
Whole Foods
650 Town Center Drive
Oxnard, CA 93036
Stop Oilfield Wastewater on Crops
12:00 PM
Ralph’s on Olympic and Barrington
11727 Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Oil & Food Don’t Mix
11:00 AM
Trader Joes
2738 Hyperion Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
