Please accept in the public record the attached letter from Tar Sands Action Southern California, as a comment in opposition to the latest plan to frack in the Los Padres National Forest and the immediate need for an EIS. Jack Eidt Director - Wild Heritage Planners Publisher - WilderUtopia.com - Coexisting into the Great Unknown Organizer - SoCal 350 and Tar Sands Action SoCal Keep in Touch on Facebook and @WilderUtopia on Twitter Office 323 362 6737 TAR SANDS ACTION SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA P.O. Box 50260 Los Angeles, California 90050 https://facebook.com/TarSandsActionSoCal Email: Jack.Eidt@wilderutopia.com Office Telephone: 323 362 6737 May 30, 2014 Mr. Jonathan Schwartz Minerals Program Manager, US Forest Service 1190 E Ojai Avenue Ojai, CA 93023 Email: comments-pacificsouthwest-los-padres-ojai@fs.fed.us RE: OPPOSE Applications for Permit to Drill (APD's) in the Sespe Oil Field Dear Mr. Schwartz: Tar Sands Action Southern California is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization dedicated to stopping dangerous extreme fossil fuel projects that put at risk the health and safety of our Southern California neighborhoods, the sustainability of our ecosystems, and the stability of our climate. We are a founding member of the Southern California Climate Action Coalition 350, affiliated with the national climate change advocate 350.org. We are also a member of the statewide coalition Californians Against Fracking, working to ban this dangerous practice in our state. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking and its related acidization in oil and gas drilling pose significant dangers to the Los Padres National Forest through its industrialization of landscapes, consumption of millions of gallons of fresh water per frack, the use of dangerous unidentified carcinogenic chemicals, the regularity of well-casing failure, and the implications for water quality and earthquake safety of underground disposal of waste water. The eight oil and gas wells proposed north of Fillmore would bring the Sespe Oil Field’s total number of wells fracked to 26 since 2011, making it the highest concentration of fracking along California’s central coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. In addition to the wells, Seneca Resources Corporation of Houston, Texas would construct nearly two miles of new pipelines, a 12,600-gallon tank, and other industrial facilities in this remote area. The Forest Service should prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement, and no fracking should be approved until we know more about the potential environmental and public health impacts of this controversial practice. Fracking has come under increasing scrutiny from scientists, regulators, and the public due to concerns with groundwater contamination, surface water pollution, water availability, and public health. It is not acceptable to approve any more fracking in such an environmentally sensitive area until the potential impacts are fully known, and until measures are put into place to protect our forest and our water supplies from environmental harm. Many of our SoCal 350 coalition members live, reside, and recreate in the vicinity of the Los Padres National Forest and I personally have hiked and camped multiple times on the river from high in the Sespe Wilderness, past the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, and all the way down through Fillmore where it merges with the Santa Clara River. Our members have also worked extensively to protect the endangered California condor from risks associated with industrial development, water pollution and general human presence in such an environmentally-sensitive habitat area. We also collaborate with organizations working to improve conditions for the endangered southern steelhead in this formally-designated critical habitat area. Any spills or contamination in the watershed could significantly harm the viability of the fish populations on the Sespe, the Santa Clara and the Pacific in Ventura. Again, we urge the Forest Service to prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement before approving any fracking operations in Los Padres National Forest. Thank you for your efforts to protect our forest and surrounding communities. Please keep us posted on any relevant scoping meetings, public hearings or possible milestones in this project. Sincerely, Jack Eidt Organizer Tar Sands Action Southern California CC via Email: Mr. Jonathan Schwartz Los Padres Forest Watch