Kern County is on the verge of an oil boom. Not in local production, but in oil from North Dakota, transported to California by rail. The Golden State is already a major destination for trains filled with crude oil from the Midwest. But a new project that goes before the Kern County Board of Supervisors later today would expand that significantly for one local refinery.
The Bakersfield California's energy industry reporter John Cox joined us on Valley Edition to talk about the planned expansion of the rail facility at the Alon Refinery on Rosedale Highway, and what it would mean for the community. Supporters say it would create jobs by restarting a refinery that has been operating only intermittently, but critics have raised safety concerns.