Spurred on by a request by local oil industry leaders, Kern County is currently exploring a plan that would dramatically revamp the way the county permits oil and gas wells. Under an environmental study that's currently in the works, getting a new well permit could become as easy as getting a county building permit.
The new rules would also spell out requirements for environmental mitigation and other issues not currently addressed. The plan has also raised concerns though among some, including farming and environmental groups. To explain more on Valley Edition, we talked to John Cox,who covers the energy industry for The Bakersfield Californian.
