Recommendation to declare ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by adding Chapter 18.79 relating to methane gas mitigation, read and adopt as read.  (Citywide)
Bush and Kerry. Thank you. And the last ordinance is 15. Item 15 Report from Development Services Recommendation to declare ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code relating to Methane Gas Mitigation Read and adapted as read citywide. You get a motion in a second place. Posted by Bashir Richardson, second by Casspi Ringa by Samir. Did you have any comments? Thank you. No. Got me wrong. Any comments? Look out. Thank you. Okay, then I'll do public comment and we'll go through about. Our first speakers and a Christianson. Listen, I'm Anna, not Ann Cantrell. You didn't let an Cantrell speak on the last resolution because you dial me by mistake. So try to make up for that even though you're ignoring our comments. Agenda item 15. Amendments, additional problematic language. It's not about public safety. It's, quote, providing a more efficient regulatory process for the applicants. It's all about the applicants. The city will not be held accountable. Future owners and occupants of the property will be notified that, you know, you're not meeting Cal Jim recommendations and that Cal Jim does not approve building over Wells, but they will still be expected to indemnify the city and its various employees and agents. So no matter what, the city's off the hook. Here are some additional recommendations to think about since you're voting this one along. Reinstate the Tidelands monies set aside in the annual budget for the cost of abandoning city wells. Though you waive those in 2021, at least take some responsibility for properly shutting down your own wells in the future. Notify those owning property with abandoned wells and residents living on or near abandoned well sites of the associated health and safety risks, including methane gas and other toxic fumes and possible oil spills and explosions. Assist property owners having abandoned oil sites on their land to ensure that these wells are shut down, according to Cowden standards. Study the impact of abandoned wells on public health and safety and on the city's water wells, as well as the specific impacts of an individual well being shut down. And just possibly, just possibly listen to the residents of Marina Pacifica and please get Beach Oil Mineral Partners to stop poisoning them and the entire wetlands with their storage tank. Achim Coombe Can't do it. Cal Jim can't seem to do it. Nobody can seem to stop this toxic pollution. And by the way, it's 700 gallons of polluted water a minute when our own city staff stated that no water in Long Beach can legally go anywhere from wells but down in the ground. And yet that oil company is transporting 700 gallons of polluted water a minute across the street and the fumes are poisoning the community. So if you want more, you want more building and more more passes. But let's try. We insist that we have a healthy community. This is out of control. The addiction to oil by the city council. Thank your next speakers and control. Good evening in Cantrell, speaking on items 14 and 15 for Sierra Club Carp and River Park Coalition. This is the second reading and opportunity for council to deny the proposed ordinance changes for building on abandoned oil well and methane site. The staff report states, quote, Long Beach currently requires that construction projects proposing to develop near wells adhere to calcium standards. The proposed action will create tailored regulations specific to Long Beach that provide better outcomes and quote, better outcomes for whom? The answer can be found in the negative declaration quote. The city has received numerous requests from potential developers and property owners regarding development of habitable and non habitable structures in the vicinity of oil gas wells. Methane leaks from abandoned wells, pipelines or processing equipment can occur and result in hazardous conditions for adjacent uses while substantially increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The current LGM well abandonment standards prohibit development on site with previously abandoned wells in the city, unquote. This proposed ordinance is an attempt to eliminate Cal Gem regulations and allow more development in places such as Wrigley, Bixby, Knowles, Alamy, despite the loss of wetlands and other oil and methane producing areas. Tel Jim requires as many as eight cement plugs and that all structures be set back certain distances from the abandoned well. This ordinance will allow the use of only three cement plugs. It also allows building directly over abandoned wells with only a membrane barrier to contain the methane. This will result in putting the lives and health of the residents at risk. The build up of flammable and toxic methane has been compared to living on top of a volcano. By requiring such projects as hospitals, caregiving facilities, schools and high rises to continue following the current Cal Gym standards. The city is recognizing the dangers to human health and safety for some, but not all residents. It's not too late for this council to deny this ordinance change and adhere to current Cal Gym standards. Please vote no. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes public comment for. Thank you to the motion on the floor. And please go ahead and cast your vote. Real call. Councilwoman Sunday has. High. Councilwoman Allen. I can't comment on it, but now. I. Can. Councilwoman Mango. I. Councilwoman Sarah. I. Councilmember Ranga. I am. Councilman Austin. But. I. Mayor Richardson. All right. Bush and Kerry. Thank you. Let's go ahead and go back now and do public comment, please. So I know we have not agenda public comment, so we'll go through that and then go back to the regular agenda. Thank you.