Letters to the editor: Measures A and B; and Simi water resolution

Voting no on Measures A and B

As a retired CalGEM oil and gas engineer and Ventura resident, I will be voting no on Measures A and B. The proponents of Measures A and B are making deceptive claims and using scare tactics regarding our water, our environment and the local petroleum industry.

Here are the facts: Oil and gas operations in Ventura County is highly regulated. Dozens of local, state, and federal agencies regulate the industry, and state regulators have the power to shut down operations if it does not meet the strict standards. Local water supplies are under supervision by water control boards and must meet state and federal drinking water standards. There is no evidence of oil production impacting drinking water in Ventura County. There are no exceptions to environmental rules and regulations regardless of when an oil well permit was issued.

I believe we should continue to produce local oil and gas under strong regulator oversight, rather than shutting down existing production and increasing our dependence on poorly regulated foreign oil. That is why I am voting no.

Walter Beil, Ventura

Monitoring water resolution

Re: your May 12 story, “Simi Valley limits outdoor watering to once a week”:

I agree that we must all save as much water as possible but I have a couple of comments.

The Simi Valley City Council has adopted a resolution which limits lawn watering to one day a week, but also requires that those with swimming pools must cover them when not in use. I wish to thank the council for agreeing to subsidize the cost of a pool cover ($300 to $1,500 depending on the size of the pool).

Also, I was wondering how compliance to the resolution would be monitored — a requirement for cameras in the back yard or perhaps drone monitoring? Just a thought.

William Neel, Simi Valley

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters: Measures A and B; and Simi water resolution