Site work for a water / sewer project in Sacramento, California. Completed plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/California-approved-far-more-permits-to-drill-15825548.php Updated Dec 24, 2020 Amid climate crisis, California approves far more drilling permits SACRAMENTO -- In the same year Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that the state faced a "climate damn emergency" with wildfires, his administration approved far more permits to let companies drill new oil and gas wells. California approved 1,646 drill permits in the first nine months of 2020 -- a 137% increase over the 694 permits it approved during the same period last year, according to data from the state Geologic Energy Management Division, the agency that regulates oil and gas extraction. Environmentalists say the increase is emblematic of a disconnect between Newsom's rhetoric and a lack of strong policies to confront climate change, which many experts believe contributed to a record-setting wildfire year in California in which 1.44 million acres burned and more than 30 people died. "We're two years (into Newsom's term), and we've heard lots of good rhetoric and a fear of action," said Kathryn Phillips, director of the Sierra Club California. "Everything points to the fact that we have to get off of fossil fuels. The problem is, we haven't found the political leadership that has the courage to make that happen." Newsom's administration defended the permit approvals by noting that oil production in California is down overall and that few of the approved wells have actually been drilled. Although the state issued far more permits this year, the number of new wells drilled plummeted by 77% -- with just 51 dug through Sept. 30, compared with 223 last year. That's largely because oil prices dropped as people traveled less during the coronavirus pandemic. A point that's often overlooked is that permit issuances don't always result in new wells being drilled or immediate well activity," Uduak-Joe Ntuk, the state oil and gas supervisor, said in a statement. Ntuk said the number of wells that companies abandoned or stopped using this year in the state, at least 1,686 for oil and gas wells, far exceeded new drill sites. Production in the state is also down this year: Oil companies produced about 102 million barrels, compared with 157 million barrels in 2019. Environmentalists say that lack of drilling is of little comfort because permit holders could start work at any time within two years, the length of the permits, as the economy and travel presumably rebound. Consumer Watchdog and the FracTracker Alliance, consumer and environmental advocacy groups, first revealed the increase in new drilling permits. Liza Tucker, an advocate with Consumer Watchdog, said the surge during 2020 appeared to be an effort by oil companies to improve their attractiveness to investors. "I believe it's a ruse to attract investment and be able to refinance debt at a reasonable cost," Tucker said. "Why are (state officials) allowing themselves to be used when they have increased discretion and authority not to rubber-stamp every single permit that comes across their desk State officials said the uptick in permits could partly be the result of a state appeals court ruling in February that found Kern County, where the vast majority of oil is produced, issued more than 1,000 permits over several years without conducting a proper environmental review to understand risks to water and air quality. The ruling included a 30-day deadline for the county to stop issuing new permits under its old review system. During that window, the number of permits issued by the state Geologic Energy Management Division surged. Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association, a trade group that represents about 500 oil and gas producers, said environmentalists' concern is misplaced, given the drop in oil production. "Extremists are using a snapshot in time to paint a picture that is blatantly false when you look at all of the data," Zierman said in an email. "California's oil is produced under the toughest regulations on the planet, proving that locally produced oil is better for our environment and our economy." State officials and environmentalists disagree over how much legal authority Newsom's administration has to reject permits. For decades, the state has operated under a view that property owners have broad rights to use resources under their land. Ntuk, the state oil and gas supervisor, said local governments have the power to approve the location of wells, and that the state's job is to ensure that "the wells meet technical, safety and environmental protection standards." Kassie Siegel, Climate Law Institute director at the Center for Biological Diversity environmental group, said state regulators have long been a pushover for the fossil-fuel industry and often ignore that state law requires them to evaluate the risks of drilling. "Their mandate is to protect Californians, protect their health, protect the environment, and they're violating that," Siegel said. "You don't have a property right before you get a permit." She added, "If the oil companies keep getting to do what they want to do, we're going to have such catastrophic climate damage to the planet that we're not even going to recognize it." Environmentalists say Newsom's ties with lobbyists who have clients in the oil industry contributes to a lack of state aggressiveness. They point to the governor's attendance last month at a dinner at the French Laundry in Napa County. The dinner -- which sparked outrage over Newsom's disregard for his own administration's warnings to avoid large gatherings during the pandemic -- was a birthday celebration for lobbyist Jason Kinney. Kinney is a partner at Axiom Advisors, which represents Aera Energy, a Bakersfield-based oil exploration company owned by Shell and ExxonMobil. Aera received 49 of the 69 fracking permits that the state has approved this year. Newsom's office did not respond to a request for comment. __________ The Proposed Site for Well Drilling and Installation of the Pore Pressure Transducer is on the Southwest Side of Sherman Island, Ca at the Mayberry Setback Levee Between Sta. 530+0q and Sta. 540+00, Access to the Site is Restricted by Two Locked Gates. The Dirt Road Running Along the Base of the Levee is Approximately 20-30 Meters From the Proposed Drilling Site. The Drilling Spoils Can Be Disposed of by Spreading Them Onsite. The Nearest Available Water Source is the Drainage Underneath the Highway 160 Bridge; However, a Pump Will Be Required to Draw Water From the Canal. The Pore Pressure Transducer Needs to Be Installed in the Sand Layer Below the Peat Layer. The Depth to the Base of the Peat Layer at the Drilling Location Will Not Be Known Until the Well is Logged; However, a Previous Study at a Nearby Site Found This Depth to Be Approximately 50 Feet (See Figure 2 for Levee Cross-section). Drill at Least 5-inch Diameter Boring to Specified Depth (See Above; Sensor Depths Should Be Determined From a Combination of Geophysical/geotechni Cal Site Characterization Methods Including Spt, and Cpt Testing at Multiple Points Around Site). Mud-rotary or Hollow Stem Auger Should Both Be Considered and Will Depend on Soil Conditions and Drilling Depths, Spt Tests in Sensor Well at Emplacement Depth (Bottom) Strongly Recommended. . Install 2" Pvc Casing With 3'" Long Conical Screw Cap on Bottom of Casing, Followed by a 12" Section of 2" Pvc Well Screen, and Then Solid 2" Pvc Casing to the Surface. The Well Screen Size Will Depend on the Formation. Install Coarse Sand Pack, Using Tremmie Pipe, Starting at the Bottom of the Boring in the Annulus Around the 2" Pvc to Just Above the Screened Area. Depth to the Top of the Sand Pack Tremmie Pipe; However, Care Must Be Used to Not Disturb the Sand Pack if Pumping in the Grout. Pouring a Bag of Bentonite Chips and Tamping Down on This Before Pumping Grout Will Help Protect the Sand Pack. The Grain Size of the Sand Used and the Size of the 2" Pvc Screen Will Depend on the Soil Conditions. The Sand Pack Used (for Example Monterey #2) Should Be Chosen Such That It Acts as a Filter That Will Allow the Water to Pass Through the Screen, but Not the Finest Materials in the Soil Formation. The Slotted Screen Should Be Small Enough to Keep the Sand Pack From Passing Through. Attached is a Photo of a Typical 12" Section of the 2" Pvc Screen, and the Conical Screw on Cap That Sits at the Bottom of the Well, Adding 3" to the Total Depth of the Casing. Just Prior to Installation of the Pressure Transducer in the Casing the Well Should Be Cleaned Out From the Bottom of the Hole Using a Pump and Garden Hose Until the Water Comes Out the Top Clear. It is a Good Idea to Do a Permeability (Slug) Test in the Hole Before Installation. This Requires Sending the Sensor Down to the Bottom Third of the Hole and Connecting It to a Data Logger, Then Filling the Hole With Water and Monitoring and Recording the Drop in Water Level With Time Back to Ambient Water Table Depth. This is a Small Business Set-aside. Product Service Code: F015; Naics: 237110. Vendor Must Be Current and Active in System for Award Management (Sam) in Order to Submit an Offer. Registration at Sam.gov. Registration is at No-cost. Responses to This Rfq Should Be Emailed Directly to the Contracting Officer (Co). See Poc. Submission of Offers. All Proposal Documents Required by This Solicitation Must Be Uploaded and Received in Their Entirety No Later Than 1700 Pd 13 Mar 2020. Proposals Submitted by Hardcopy or the Fedconnect Web Portal or Fed Connect Message Center Shall Not Be Accepted or Considered. Reserved Reserved Award Will Be Made to the Vendor Whose Proposal Best Meets the Government Requirements as Stated in the Attached Documents. Vendor Shall Use the Sf 18 to Indicate Price. Vendor Must Submit a Price for All Line Items. Vendor Quote Should Include Duns Number, Email Address and Shall Be Valid for 60 Days. Period of Performance: 03/17/2020 to 03/24/2020. *Per the owner, the bids for this project came in too high. The project is on hold and there is no timeline or decision to rebid at this time.