THE MURPHY SITE
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FAST FACTS
WELL COUNT: 22 active oil wells and 7 injection wells COMPANY: Freeport McMoRan Inc. DISTANCE FROM HOMES: 200 feet It began with neighbors smelling a sulfuric odor near their homes. After a resident complained to AQMD, they found a leak of natural gas at 400 percent the allowable limit. Since then, residents have worried about the lack of transparency and inadequate regulation of Freeport's operations. To this day, there is still no emergency response plan in place. |
CURRENT OPERATIONS
Freeport McRoRan operates 22 active oil and gas wells and 7 injection wells on the Murphy site. The site itself is owned by the Catholic Archiocese of Los Angeles, and it sits as close as 200 feet from homes and playgrounds. The drill site operates 24 hours a day.
Freeport McRoRan operates 22 active oil and gas wells and 7 injection wells on the Murphy site. The site itself is owned by the Catholic Archiocese of Los Angeles, and it sits as close as 200 feet from homes and playgrounds. The drill site operates 24 hours a day.
COMMUNITY IMPACTS
16,000 people live within a half-mile radius of the drill site. The area includes a special needs high school, an elementary school, a hospice facility and a senior housing complex. Since FMOG took over the site in 2013, the neighborhood has been plagued by sickening smells from toxic waste incinerators. Community members have suffered from respiratory problems, chronic nosebleeds, skin and eye irritation, and headaches.
16,000 people live within a half-mile radius of the drill site. The area includes a special needs high school, an elementary school, a hospice facility and a senior housing complex. Since FMOG took over the site in 2013, the neighborhood has been plagued by sickening smells from toxic waste incinerators. Community members have suffered from respiratory problems, chronic nosebleeds, skin and eye irritation, and headaches.
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REGULATORY RESPONSE FMOG has been cited for a number of zoning abuses and air quality and health infractions, but drilling still continues at the expense of our health and safety. In January, AQMD inspectors visiting the site recorded methane readings of 20,000 ppm--half-way to the point where the gas could spontaneously combust. Heath risks associated with long-term methane exposure include dizziness, nausea and headaches. While FMOG says it has emergency plans on file, local fire station chiefs said they had no record of such plans, or even a map of the Murphy Drill facility in the event of an explosion. |
COMMUNITY RESPONSE
The community surrounding the Murphy site, led by the Holman Methodist Church, has organized protest and Kids' Advocacy Days to create a vocal culture of activism in their neighborhood. On July 20, 2015, over 100 children marched to the Murphy drill site, dressed as "canaries in a coal mine," to practice advocating for the health and safety of their classmates, friends and family.
The community surrounding the Murphy site, led by the Holman Methodist Church, has organized protest and Kids' Advocacy Days to create a vocal culture of activism in their neighborhood. On July 20, 2015, over 100 children marched to the Murphy drill site, dressed as "canaries in a coal mine," to practice advocating for the health and safety of their classmates, friends and family.
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