Oil field waste firm prepares to argue its case ¦ Appeal set before board this Thursday By Kathleen Wilson kwilson@vcstar 805-437-0271 Anterra Corp. this week will seek a reversal of county citations over its operations at an oil field waste disposal site outside Oxnard. The appeal is scheduled to be heard Thursday by the Ventura County Planning Commission, a body appointed by the county Board of Supervisors. Commissioners will be asked to overturn two citations: one centering on the allowable number of trips waste-carrying trucks may take into the site off Wooley Road and the other concerning stormwater runoff. County planners say the allowable number of truck trips is 24 per day. The company argues the 16-year-old permit from the county clearly says 24 tanker trucks, not all types of trucks. In a June letter to the company, county Planning Manager Brian Baca estimated the company had exceeded the allowable number of 24 daily truck trips for every month from November 2013 to March. Subsequent data provided by the company for a period from November to July showed the unauthorized use is “substantially higher” and the magnitude of violation “proportionately greater,” planners said in a report to commissioners. Those figures show the company exceeded the truck limits on 240 of 273 days, the report said. Anterra disposed of more than 725,000 barrels of waste over the period and accepted more than 10,000 deliveries, almost twice the allowable limit, the report stated. Peter Goldenring, attorney for Anterra, said the alleged violations derive primarily from changes in county officials’ position. “They are unwilling to honestly admit how we got here,” he said Friday. “They are running away from their prior positions, which the company relied on, claiming them to be mistakes.” The appeal is scheduled to be heard at 8:30 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors’ hearing room in the Hall of Administration at the Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria., Ventura. Anterra is under investigation by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for undisclosed reasons. Anterra recently received notice from the state about a problem found during an inspection at the Oxnard site. In a letter dated Sept. 30, Anterra officials were told several tanks on the site were not properly la beled, as required by state law. The letter was sent from the state Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources. The company was told to correct the problem by Nov. 5 and provide an updated tank inventory list and site plan to the division. It’s not an emergency situation, but nonetheless one that must be addressed, state officials said. Anterra’s operation manager has told the division everything has been addressed except placards that should be delivered shortly.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 03:37:54 +0000
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