It Will Cost Up To $21.5 Billion To Clean Up California’s Oil Sites. The Industry Won’t Make Enough Money To Pay For It
For well over a century, the oil and gas industry has drilled holes across California in search of black gold and a lucrative payday. But with production falling steadily, the time has come to clean up many of the nearly quarter-million wells scattered from downtown Los Angeles to western Kern County and across the state. The bill for that work, however, will vastly exceed all the industry’s future profits in the state, according to a first-of-its-kind study published Thursday and shared with ProPublica.
The report broke down the costs into several categories. Plugging wells, dismantling surface infrastructure and decontaminating polluted drill sites would cost at least $13.2 billion, based on publicly available data. Adding in factors with slightly more uncertainty, like inflation rates and the price of decommissioning miles of pipeline, could bring the total cleanup bill for California’s onshore oil and gas industry to $21.5 billion. Meanwhile, California oil and gas production will earn about $6.3 billion in future profits over the remaining course of operations. Taxpayers will likely have to cover much of the difference to ensure wells are plugged and not left to leak brine, toxic chemicals and climate-warming methane.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the report and the California oil industry with Mark Olalde, southwest environment reporter for ProPublica, Dwayne Purvis, consulting petroleum engineer and founder and principal advisor at Purvis Energy Advisors Tracker, Kevin Slagle, vice president of strategic communications at the Western States Petroleum Association.
Read the full LAist story here
Scattering Cremains–Where To Do It, Where Not To Do It, And The People Who Scatter Them Anywhere, Anyway
The number of cremations in the United States surpassed that of casket burials in 2015 and has only continued to rise every year since with the National Funeral Directors Association reporting 1.91 million cremations in 2022. As cremation becomes the most popular burial option, deciding what to do with a loved one's ashes has become an increasingly stressful one. Most places, like national parks, stadiums, and Disneyland, prohibit the spreading of ashes or require written permission from the land owner. Still, people will go out of their way to slyly memorialize their loved one at their favorite place. So, how do you toe the line between honoring a loved one's wishes and making sure you're abiding by all of the legal regulations? And how can you ensure that the remains of a family member don't get swept away along with the average dust? Joining us to discuss the various laws and regulations around spreading cremains is Jennifer Werthman, Education Director for the Cremation Association of North America. We also want to hear from you! Where have you spread ashes for a loved one? What was the process like? Share your story by calling us at 866-893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Do You Need To Be In Close Proximity To Colleagues To Get Ahead At Work?
There’s power in proximity. That’s, in part, the conclusion of a new research paper put forth by labor economists who examined the impacts of sitting near coworkers.
The researchers looked at software engineers’ experiences and how proximity affected collaboration, training and work outputs. They found younger and female workers may be more negatively impacted doing remote work, but it came with a cost to senior engineers who had less output when closer to colleagues. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the research and what it means for the future of remote work. Joining to discuss is Emma Harrington, assistant professor of economics at the University of Virginia and one of the authors of the new research paper. We want to hear from you! How does proximity impact your experience at work? Do you feel like it holds you back or do you feel more proficient? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
Repairs Begin In San Clemente Where Slope Collapse Closed Casa Romantica And Halted Train Service
San Clemente city officials said this week that repairs have started on a steep slope that collapsed near Casa Romantica last month, and that parts of the historic grounds could be open again by the end of the month. Metrolink and Amtrak passenger train service has been stopped in the area, four condo buildings were tagged as unsafe for occupancy, though the OC Register reports some have since been cleared, and the city temporarily closed Casa Romantica when part of an already-unstable hillside gave way and tumbled down towards the train tracks below.
Today on AirTalk, LAist Senior Reporter Orange County Jill Replogle joins us to share the latest on the repair process, and the impact the collapse has had on the residents who live in the area and the historic Casa Romantica grounds.
TV-Talk: ‘High Desert,’ ‘XO, Kitty’ ‘Clone High’ Season 2 & More
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network tv and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we’re going to try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, guest host Austin Cross talks to The Hollywood Reporter television critic Angie Han and Roxana Hadadi, television critic for Vulture.
This week’s reviews include:
- High Desert (Apple TV+)
- XO, Kitty (Netflix)
- Class of 09 (FX & Hulu)
- Bupkis (Peacock)
- Clone High [Season 2] (Max)
- Platonic (Apple TV+)
- Succession [Season 4, Final Season] (HBO & HBO Max)