Alyssa Hum, SFSU, 2021
The Inglewood Oil Field, owned by Sentinel Peak Resources, is a site of resource extraction located in the Baldwin Hills of Culver City; the land used for this field is unincorporated, occupying about 1,000 acres, in the LA County [1]. Established in 1924, it remains a profitable figure in the fossil fuel industry [2]. An average of 2.5-3.1 million barrels of oil are extracted annually, awarding it both state-wide prominence and recognition as the largest urban oil field nationally [3].
History
The Inglewood Oil Field is a decades old and large site where a significant portion of California’s oil supply is extracted and sold, making it a quintessential location for Big Oil to aggregate profits while fostering a culture of reliance on resource extraction. The main process of gathering the oil, drilling, has resulted in 1,600 wells and the site operators, recently purchased by Sentinel Peak Resources, expressed no indication to slow or stop their extractions [4].
Sentinel Peak Resources assumed operations of Inglewood Oil Field (IOF) in 2017 and prior to the shift in ownership, there was a series of gas leaks in the year 2005 that caused concern for both the communities surrounding the site and the city [5]. Following these events were two oil spills, contaminating the water and air of Culver City and leaving the community members to suffer the consequences [6].
Economic “Greater Good”
This site demonstrates the repercussions of an energy sacrifice zone; the community is a dehumanized and marginalized group, consisting of a majority non-White population, for the sake of profit and the continuation of the destructive fossil fuel industry [7]. And it is not the community that reaps the substantial benefits of the Inglewood Oil field, but the owners of Sentinel Peak Resources who hoard the economic gains without facing the dangers of the site [8].
The Inglewood site does contain instances of Environmental Racism however, the way that this site is portrayed reveals that those who operate and profit from it present the economic benefits of the site, while undermining the community endangerments because the monetary value ‘outweighs’ the externalized costs.
Key Demographics:
The dehumanized group is the predominantly Black community that suffers from various health ailments and a toxic reliance on a fossil fuel site for employment [13]. Their well being is neglected because in energy sacrifice zones, there is a pattern of sacrificing a certain necessity, in this case environmental and physical health, for the greater good.
Said greater good is clearly emphasized by Sentinel Peak Resources. They credit it for being established in 1924 and for the consistency of its production; it continues to be the largest oil field in all of California and plays an “irreplaceable role in meeting the residents energy needs” [14].
Sentinel Peak Resources focus on highlighting the economic benefits of this site, though this comes with ease for the corporation as it is located in Denver, Colorado and those that gain the most from this site do not face any of the consequences [15]. The company removed from the region of dispute yet still retains the confidence to speak on what is best its residents.
Environmental Health Impacts
Sentinel Peak Resources purposefully ignores the fact that the IOF releases toxic chemicals and Greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, possessing a track record of numerous oil spills which impose health detriments onto the predominantly Black community [16].
These health impacts include:
- Lung and heart disease [17]
- Leukemia [18]
- Lymphoma [19]
- Lung Cancer [20]
- Nervous System Damage [21]
- Birth Defects [22]
- Premature Death [23]
Toxic Chemicals
Benzene, in particular, poses a major threat because of how toxic it is to the human body [24]. The community must make this sacrifice on behalf of the company. This hazardous carcinogen is prevalent in the oil spills of the IOF, however many other emissions result from spills and operations of the site:
While the community must compromise their health and environment, the company continues to profit; the suffering ensued by the IOF, the exploitation of the land and people, and the threats hanging in the future are all necessary components for this ‘greater good’ of bolstering the economy and fossil fuels.
Employment opportunities and access to energy should not overshadow the voices of the people; they are demanding this oil field to be shut down and replaced with something that will rebuild the community’s sense of place, such as a public park that directly benefits the daily lives of Culver City’s residents [30].
REFERENCES:
[1]City of Culver City. (2017). Inglewood Oil Field: Background. https://www.culvercity.org/City-Hall/Departments/City-Manager/City-Hall/Get-Involved/Inglewood-Oil-Field/Background.
[2] City of Culver City.
[3] City of Culver City.
[4] Inglewood Oil Field. (2019, October). Economic Benefits. Inglewood OIl Field. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://inglewoodoilfield.com/benefits/economic-benefits/
[5] LA County – Inglewood Oil Field Campaign. CleanBreak. (2019).
https://cleanbreak.info/la-county-drilling-baldwin-hills-inglewood-oil-field/.
[6] LA County – Inglewood Oil Field Campaign.
[7] Rangan, C., & Tayour, C. (2012, April). Results of the 2011 Inglewood Oil Field Communities’
Survey. Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
[8] Angeles Chapter. (2019, July 31). Inglewood Oil Field is Killing Us. Sierra Club. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://angeles.sierraclub.org/conservation_news/blog/2019/07/inglewood_oil_field_is_killing_us
[9] Inglewood, CA. Data USA. (2018). https://datausa.io/profile/geo/inglewood-ca.
[10] Inglewood, CA.
[11] Inglewood, CA.
[12] Inglewood, CA.
[13] Inglewood Oil Field. (2019, October). Economic Benefits. Inglewood OIl Field. Retrieved April 2, 2021, from https://inglewoodoilfield.com/benefits/economic-benefits/
[14] Inglewood Oil Field
[15] Peak Resources, S. (2021). About Sentinel Peak. Sentinel Peak Resource. https://sentinelpeakresources.com/about/
[16] LA County – Inglewood Oil Field Campaign.
[17] Angeles Chapter.
[18] Angeles Chapter.
[19] Angeles Chapter.
[20] Angeles Chapter.
[21] Angeles Chapter.
[22] Angeles Chapter.
[23] Angeles Chapter.
[24] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018, April 4). Facts About Benzene. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp#:~:text=Benzene%20is%20a%20chemical%20that,float%20on%20top%20of%20water.
[25] Angeles Chapter.
[26] Angeles Chapter.
[27] Angeles Chapter.
[28] Angeles Chapter.
[29] Angeles Chapter.
[30] LA County – Inglewood Oil Field Campaign.
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