THE JEFFERSON SITE

FAST FACTS
WELL COUNT: 29 active wells 
COMPANY: Freeport McMoRan Inc.
DISTANCE FROM HOMES:  3 feet from nearest home

Living just feet away from an oil drilling site shrouded in secrecy, residents of South Los Angeles are plagued by constant noise, foul odors and hazardous truck traffic in their neighborhood. A complete lack of transparency by Freeport McMoRan leaves the neighborhood constantly on edge, worrying about what kind of toxic chemicals will be trucked in and injected below their homes tomorrow. 
PicturePhoto courtesy of Grist.
CURRENT OPERATIONS 
There are currently 33 active wells operating at the Jefferson drill site. The operator, oil and gas company Freeport McMoRan (FMOG), From 2013-2014, FMOG reported using 133,766 pounds of corrosive acids and toxic chemicals, including Prop. 65 air toxic chemicals, and other chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects, just feet from neighboring homes. FMOG has applied for the right to re-drill 2 new wells and 1 new well, as well as to drill twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for anywhere between two months and two years.
"Right now, the onus is on the residents to prove that this is dangerous. 
The regulatory system simply isn't working.”    

RICHARD PARKS
SOUTH L.A. RESIDENT


COMMUNITY IMPACTS
When the site has began drilling for oil in the area in 1965, the buildings surrounding the Jefferson drill site were owned by the oil corporation and left vacant as “buffer properties.”  In 1999, the City of Los Angeles allowed the oil company to sell the properties for residential use, but the properties would “remain buffer properties”—residents are now the buffer.

The site’s property line is 3 feet from the nearest home, 130 feet from a church, and 730 feet from an elementary school.

No Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has ever been conducted for the site and the consequences of next-door drilling are still unknown. Since FMOG began to manage the drilling site in 2013, children and families have been repeatedly exposed to dangerous chemicals that pose severe risks on community health and safety. 

REGULATORY RESPONSE
Regulatory loopholes have allowed FMOG to pump thousands of pounds of acid into the ground without notifying neighbors. The site is cloaked in secrecy, and FMOG has consistently tried to exclude community members from the permitting process. The oil company, FMOG, even applied to waive public hearings during their application to drill around the clock, 24/7.


COMMUNITY RESPONSE
After blocking the company’s application to drill new wells around the clock with a record turnout at a public hearing kept secret by FMOG, the community has been vocal and active around health and safety concerns. They have staged multiple community protests, calling attention to the lack of transparency and regulation of the sites. Last summer, they joined with the community at the Murphy drill site to host a Kids’ Advocacy Day, where over 100 South L.A. children marched to the Jefferson site, chanting “Hey, hey, ho ho, neighborhood drilling has to go!"

On June 9, 2016, the community joined forces with Earthjustice to file a nuisance abatement order to tighten restrictions on FMOG. The community is working with their City Council member Marqueece Harris-Dawson to schedule a hearing with the City Council.